


The Source

by GMaster1991



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural Elements, TV Tropes - Cosmic Chess Game, TV Tropes - You Are Worth Hell, World of Remnant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-09-24 21:24:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9787520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GMaster1991/pseuds/GMaster1991
Summary: After the Fall of Haven, Ruby searches for a way to finally gain control of her Silver-Eyed power, and finds an unexpected ghost of her past. (This is my personal prediction on what might happen on the show a few volumes later. This was originally a One-Shot, but it expanded into something much more! Warning: HUGE Volume 4 spoilers!)





	1. The Source

On a cold and stormy night, a lone Huntress wearing a crimson cloak stood near the entrance of a foreboding temple that laid within a frozen tundra. Compared to the bustling and living cities of her youth and the ravaged and dead villages that she had recently witnessed when traveling to Haven, this place was altogether different. Neither living nor dead, this place looked and felt completely untouched by either humans or Grimm for years.

Ruby's lonely journey began due to the actions of a cowardly lion. One she thought she knew... Professor Leo Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven Academy, had committed an act that some of his peers would have believed to be unthinkable. When he first made an inspiring speech to the students of Haven about looking toward the future and never giving up, she thought of him in the same way she thought of Ozpin. He was mysterious, and didn't elaborate much, but it was all for everyone else's good. Over time, she even began to look up to him. Her time in Haven was very reminiscent of her time in Beacon, and after she reunited with the other members of Team RWBY, she even felt like she was just a student again, and that the Fall of Beacon was nothing more than a bad dream.

The Fall of Haven was a rude awakening from her happy fantasy. Professor Lionheart was working for Salem as an informant all along. Her uncle, Qrow, trusted him. His students trusted him. She trusted him. Even Ozpin trusted him. And before anyone knew it, it was the Fall of Beacon all over again, and perhaps more importantly, the Relic was missing. The whereabouts of the Relic haven't been verified, but there's no doubt that it's now in the hands of Salem and her very own team, WTCH.

Now, Ruby and her friends have been scattered into the world once more. When Beacon fell, she at least had some friends to accompany her. They called themselves Team RNJR (or JNRR). Now, she couldn't even find them, the rest of her original team, or anyone else she knew for that matter. She was alone. Were her friends and family more fortunate than she was? Where they even alive? She didn't know. But she wouldn't give up here. Not now. Not ever. She promised her sister that she would do whatever she can, wherever she can, and hopefully do some good.

Apparently, Team WTCH had 'dealt with the Silver-Eyed Warriors before'. Lionheart's scroll was filled with information about the old legends, and he would pass that information to one of Team WTCH's members, Watts, who would then deliver that information as a messenger to the rest of his team, as well as Salem. Naturally, the Silver-Eyed Warriors were no exception. Their combat prowess, their advantage over Grimm and the Maidens, their weaknesses, and the source of their power. It was all there in his scroll. And Ruby's got it. That was the one thing that gave the heroes some hope. Their one advantage. She's got the scroll, and the latest information on it, before Salem or anyone else did.

The source of the Silver-Eyed Warrior's power was certainly the key. The date in which that information was saved onto Lionheart's scroll was only mere days before the Fall of Haven, and based on the message that Watts sent Lionheart, he would only meet with him every few weeks. This information included a map of Remnant, and a series of circles with X's over each of them. All except one. The remaining 'un-X'ed' circle was drawn over Anima's snowy northern region, far from Haven, and days away from any other sign of civilization. Ruby had only ever tapped into this power once, during the Fall of Beacon, when she witnessed Pyrrha's death. She didn't know how she did it, and she didn't know how to use it again, even during the Fall of Haven. But with the information on Lionheart's scroll, maybe that could change.

After weeks of walking and no sign of any of her friends or family, she was finally here. The exterior of the temple was white and cold from the snow, but appeared to be fairly small. And on the inside... No torches, artifacts, tombs, or other 'ancient templey' stuff. Just a large set of spiral stairs that lead underground and a big hole in the center that's large enough for Ruby to fall in. Almost disappointing, actually. She was expecting more 'giant rolling boulders' or 'bottomless pits' like in the movies, but like every fairy tale since... ever, it's what's on the inside that counts. Right?

Without any other visible options, she began walking down these stairs. And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... After a couple of minutes, it was getting too dark for her to see. Fortunately, Lionheart's scroll could be used as a weak flashlight. It didn't illuminate much, but it was enough for her to see the next few steps in front of her. With that, she kept walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... And walking... **And walking... And walking... And walking... And WALKING... And WALKING... And WALKING!**

After about another twelve minutes of this insanity, Ruby was sorely tempted to simply jump down the hole. The hole was too dark for her to determine whether or not there was a safe landing, though, so she bent down and held out Lionheart's scroll in a **really** futile attempt to see how far left there is to walk. She still couldn't see the bottom. She thought about dropping the scroll down the hole actually goes, but thought that it might break when it hits the bottom (assuming there **is** a bottom). Then, she got a better idea. While she was at Haven, she paid for a little plastic ball to amuse herself with on her free time, back when the world started making sense again. She pulled it out of her belt pouch and lightly tossed it down the stairs and listened to the noise it made as it bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... And bounced... As the sound of the ball bouncing continued to echo from below, Ruby slowly began to slouch lower and lower, while her eyes and mouth slowly began to open wider and wider. What kind of sick monster designed this place!? Ruby was tempted to just use her Semblance and dash around these stairs to the bottom, but decided against it. She needed to keep her Aura as high as possible for when the inevitable 'outrun the giant rolling boulder in the narrow corridor' thing happens later. So, she just kept walking. She could still hear the ball bouncing below her...

After probably eighty-seven centuries of walking, Ruby was finally at the bottom. Was it centuries? And was it eighty-seven, or eighty-eight? Does it matter? The point is that walking down here took forever and whoever designed this place is an evil monster that deserves to be devoured whole by a Griffon. The light from the scroll could only illuminate a few feet ahead of her, but she couldn't see any walls. She must be in some kind of large 'chamber room'. She slowly continued forward looking for any bottomless pits and listening for giant rolling boulders. They have to show up sooner or later, right? After a minute of slow walking, Ruby could see a faint light emerging from in front of her. She slowly approached this light and noticed that it was not only getting brighter as she drew closer, but larger in size as well. At this point, she could turn off the scroll without losing any visibility. She started walking at a normal pace, and noticed that the light grew wider and brighter at the same pace that she was moving. Was this chamber actually reacting to her presence? Ruby could now see that the light was initially coming from a pedestal. There were also pillars around the chamber holding the ceiling up and life-sized statues that were sticking out of the pillars. She could also see the (mercifully shorter) set of stairs leading up to the top of the pedestal, and ran toward them.

As Ruby witnessed the light getting brighter as she ran toward the pedestal, she had an idea. Just a small one. A little fun after all the death, the destruction, the angst, and the eighty-something centuries... It couldn't hurt. She ran backwards, away from the pedestal , and witnessed the light growing dimmer as she was moving further away from it. Then, she ran toward it again and the light grew brighter. Then, she ran from it again and it grew dimmer. She kept repeating this over and over again. Brighter. Dimmer. Brighter. Dimmer. Brighter. Dimmer. Brighter. Dimmer. Brighter. Dimmer.

Before Ruby could command the room to 'let there be light' again, she felt something slap her in the back of her head... hard. After the brief shock that came from the blow, she extended her Crescent Rose and turned around, ready to attack whatever it was that struck her, only to see... one of the pillar statues instead. Did she really just get slapped by a statue? She approached the statue, keeping her guard up, and waiting for it to strike again, but it remained motionless. She started feeling around the statue, trying to move its arms, its nose, its legs, and even poked its eyes. Still, there was no response. Whatever it was that slapped her had only proved that one thing was undeniably clear. Whoever designed this place is an evil monster that deserves to have their limbs tied to ropes attached to the hind legs of Nuckelavees and pulled apart.

In any case, it was time to stop playing with the lights. Ruby walked toward the pedestal again, and then stopped and quickly turned her head toward the statue. She started walking toward the pedestal again, and quickly turned her head toward the statue again. When she confirmed to herself that the statue wasn't following her, she walked up the stairs of the pedestal and stood on top of it. The light in the chamber was at its brightest when she was standing on the pedestal, and she could see everything in the chamber now. The stone walls had glowing silver lines engraved in them, like the whole chamber was a piece of ancient technology. For all Ruby knew, it probably was. There was a clustered pile of large cube-shaped stones on top of another higher platform directly in front of her. And that appeared to be it. No death traps or giant rolling boulders after all of that walking. It was actually kind of disappointing.

When Ruby started walking to the edge of the pedestal to get a closer look at the other platform, a portion of the floor positioned below the pedestal rose up and hovered directly adjacent to the edge of the pedestal. It was weird, but she already got this far and decided to play along. She stepped onto the hovering stone, and saw another portion of the floor rise up adjacent to the stone she was already on, but it was hovering slightly higher. It was obvious, now. Ruby nodded her head and had an expression of fake enthusiasm on her face. More stairs. Wonderful...

Fortunately, this pattern of 'pieces of the floor rising as steps to walk on' only went on for about twelve more stones. When she reached this last stone, something much more interesting happened. (Finally...) Many pieces of the wall on the left and right sides of her burst outward and hovered in front of her in an oval-like formation. These stones started spinning in this formation until a faint light came from them, much like from the pedestal. These faint lights turned into beams that fired into one another. The very center of where these beams touched, which was inside the oval-like formation of stones, appeared to 'erupt'. Blinding light came this eruption, forcing Ruby to cover her eyes. She squinted and tried to look at what was making this light. It was difficult for her to see, but she could make out a bright blue sky, something green at the top, and the sun at the bottom of the image. Was this really just an image, or another dimension?

Ruby uttered the first word that came out of her mouth in days, "Oh my god..."

She slowly approached this 'image', and could see that the sun in the bottom of the image was what was caused this blinding light, just like the real sun. Weird... It was night time when she first found this temple. She took a look at the scroll to see what time it was, and it wasn't even midnight yet. Now, this made even less sense. When Ruby got close enough to this 'image', it appeared to start rippling like it was water. Without warning, the image start to twist and distort as tendrils came out of it toward Ruby! The tendrils quickly wrapped around her arms and legs, and she could feel burning heat on her left leg. She couldn't reach her Crescent Rose, and after a brief period of struggling, Lionheart's scroll fell out of her grasp. Afterwards, more tendrils came from the image right toward her face! She tried to shout, but the tendrils wrapped around her face. One of them went in her mouth, and she could actually feel the blue sky go down her lungs! Even more tendrils came from the image and wrapped themselves around Ruby's back in a coil. Finally, the tendrils pulled her toward the image, and it engulfed her.

When Ruby regained consciousness, she was lying on her back and could hear running water. When she slowly opened her eyes, she could see green directly above her and blue around her. She slowly sat herself up and saw a tree hanging **upside-down** from the green above her! That green that was above her... It was grass! She frantically stood up on her feet and see more of her surroundings. The sound of the running water came from the right side of her. When she looked in that direction, she could see a small upside-down waterfall pouring upward into a pond above her. Or is it a 'water-rise'? When she looked on her left, she squinted at the sight of the sun coming from below her in that direct... Wait, **what?** She looked down toward what she was standing on. A thick bed of white roses, but they looked translucent. She could also see through these roses and perceive the sky directly beneath her!

Ruby bent down to touch the roses, but discovered that her hand passed through them as if they were thin air, "Oooookaaaaay... Weird."

She couldn't feel like she was actually standing on anything, either. She bent further down to try to touch whatever was keeping her from falling down... or up. She did get to a point where her hand was clearly touching a flat surface, and it was on the same level where her feet were, but she couldn't **feel** what she was touching. She started walking around a little in this bizarre 'rosy-sky', and she could clearly tell from the translucent roses that she was actually moving, and not just floating in midair. After a little more aimless walking, she could see an image that was floating behind where she was initially laying down until she regained her consciousness. Within it, she could see a pedestal and statues within a dark background, exactly like the ones that were in that underground part of the temple. Okay, this was starting to make a little sense now. Those images are kind of like portals between dimensions. Probably...

Ruby thought about leaving this weird upside-down world for a brief moment, until she remembered why she came this far in the first place and shook her head. Not yet. Whatever this was, wherever she was, she couldn't just leave empty-handed, especially after seeing two academies fall. She turned around and walked the other direction. At this point, there was no clear destination in mind. She was still looking for the source of the Silver-Eyed Warrior's power, but that was clearly easier said than done. What does it even look like? How would she know if she even found it? What if she can't pick it up and take it with her?

There wasn't anything noteworthy on the grou... er, sky that she was walking on, so she looked upward for anything of significance. Maybe the source is in something upside-down? It didn't take that long to find something. It looked just like the entrance to that temple she found, only upside-down and much less morbid looking. The top of the upside-down temple's entrance was only a little higher (meaning closer to the ground above, not the sky below) than where Ruby was standing. She was able to climb onto the ceiling-floor of this temple without wasting any Aura for her Semblance. That's good. Sooner or later, some giant, imposing, Cthulhu-inspired, Huntress-devouring, Harbinger of Doom was going to show up, and she would need to retain as much of her Aura as possible to kill it. It was so obvious! There was virtually no resistance or danger the entire time she was traversing the temple, aside from a statue that probably slapped her. If this 'source of the Silver-Eyed Warrior's power' was such a big deal, then **something** had to be guarding it... Right?

In direct contrast to the dull interior of that other temple, this one actually looked bright and lavish. There were more of those translucent white roses growing everywhere, from the ceiling-floor to the floor-ceiling, including the walls. She could also see where those god-awful stairs began, except they were above her now. Also, there was a huge ray of light instead of that dark hole. It came from the middle of those stairs that was beaming straight down toward the ceiling-floor below it. In a nutshell, this whole place had the feeling of a 'boss room' in a video game. Ruby extended her Crescent Rose in kept her guard up in anticipation for the 'big, scary, Harbinger of Doom', but nothing could have prepared her for what she was about to see...

There was a robed figure sitting down in the roses that was as white and translucent as they were. Ruby's eyes squinted a little when noticed this figure, and after a few seconds of standing still, she ran toward the figure to get a closer look. When she got close enough, the robed figure ended up noticing Ruby and looked at her. The figure's skin was translucent just like her robe, but it had glowing silver eyes! Ruby gasped as her eyes and mouth widened. This figure... This ghost was...

"Mom..?"

The ghostly figure stared back at Ruby with equal astonishment, "Y-you..? Could it really be..?"

Ruby collapsed on her (normal, and in no way 'bee's') knees and her grip on her Crescent Rose loosened. It fell through the translucent roses and onto the ceiling-floor. The ghostly figure was visibly shaking at the sight of Ruby and slowly extended its hand toward her. Ruby silently responded by slowly extending her own hand to touch the ghostly figure's. Both hands completely passed through one another, and Ruby didn't feel like she was touching anything. After a brief moment of this, Ruby pulled her hand back and pulled back the hood from her hair. The ghostly figure responded by doing the same.

When Ruby saw the ghostly figure's short red hair, her eyes started watering and her open mouth curved into an open smile, "Mom..!"

The ghostly figure lowered itself down so that it was sitting on the same height that Ruby was kneeling and drew a bit closer while smiling, "I-it really is you..! My little Ruby!"

Ruby attempted to wrap her arms around this ghostly apparition of her mother, Summer Rose, but just like with their hands, her arms passed through her as if she were thin air. When Ruby noticed this, her smile faded, "I can't even... give you a hug."

Summer's smile also started to fade. Ruby unwrapped her arms and frowned, "You're... You really are... dead."

Summer closed her eyes and nodded, "Yes."

Ruby took a second to hold back her tears, "U-um... Sorry... I'm just... It feels so weird seeing you again. B-but it's like a happy weird. A-and... Um..."

Summer started smiling again, "I know! I... I never thought I would ever see you... or anyone else ever again! How did you know to find me here?"

Ruby was confused, "Huh?"

Summer was equally confused, "You... You didn't know I was..?"

Ruby was **really** confused, "What are you talking about?"

Summer noticed the Crescent Rose buried under the translucent roses and the ammunition on Ruby's corset and made the connection. The look on her face was one of dread, "You're a Huntress..."

Ruby didn't notice her mother's reaction and swelled with pride, "Oh! Uh... Yeah, I made a bunch of new friends, we fought a lot of Grimm, Dad's, uh... you know, Dad. Remember? I talked to you at your grave and..."

Summer frowned and her eyes drifted downward. That was when Ruby figured it out, "You don't know..? I visit your grave every now and then, and every time I do, I tell you about all my experiences and how I've grown as a ..."

Ruby paused and observed the complete silence around her, "You couldn't hear me. At all..."

Summer was shivering as she held back her tears, "N-no... I... I don't know anything..! About you... About your sister... About your father... I... I..."

Ruby was both sad and confused, "But I thought people watch their loved ones from the sky after they die... You know, like from Heaven? I was just walking on the sky a little bit ago and..."

Summer interrupted with a somewhat frightening look on her face, " **This is no paradise!** "

Ruby was caught by surprise by Summer's sudden outburst. Summer turned her face away from Ruby and spoke somberly, "Of course... I should have known."

Summer paused for a moment, "The Silver-Eyed power... You want to use it... To wield the fullest extent of that power... That's why you came here."

Ruby was about to ask her how she knew, but Summer already answered it, "It's the only reason anyone would come to this... stagnant place."

Ruby started to share her mother's dread now, "But... If this isn't Heaven... Where are we? And why are you here?"

Summer kept her face out of Ruby's sight, "I don't know who could have made this place or what it represents... As for why I'm here..."

A single tear came out of Summer's eye as she just barely kept herself composed, "This is my eternal prison."

Ruby's dread grew when she heard that, "You mean like..."

Ruby was afraid to even finish that sentence with the word 'Hell' and tried to rephrase it, "I mean... You protected Remnant. You were a real hero. You were a wonderful mom. How can you be..?"

Summer's miserable expression hasn't changed, "It's not that kind of prison. It's not like there's much of a difference, though."

Ruby felt as if a Grimm was trying to claw out of the pit of her stomach, "So... You're trapped here."

Summer's misery grew worse as she held back tears again, "Y-yes..."

After a brief moment of silence from them both, Ruby pulled herself together from her dread, "What do I have to do?"

Summer looked back at Ruby with a puzzled glance, "What?"

Ruby grew more serious and determined, "Mom, tell me how I can save you!"

Summer lightly shook her head in denial, "Ruby, I'm dead. You can't save me."

Ruby spoke in a whisper and held back her tears, "Then... At least, tell me how I can help you rest in peace."

Summer looked downward and spoke in a monotone whisper, "If only I knew..."

At only 16 years old, Ruby had already endured so much tragedy and heartbreak. She watched one Academy fall through infiltration and another fall through betrayal. She watched one friend get sliced to pieces and another friend get burned to ashes. She watched her sister fall apart emotionally after she lost her arm and her uncle nearly die from a venomous wound. But this has to be the worst thing she's ever seen! If this was truly her mother... If sadness and misery could actually persist eternally beyond death... Was this actually too much to endure? Could she finally fall apart, right here, right now?

Shivering and biting her lip, there was only one question Ruby that could even ask, "Why? Why is this happening?"

Summer solemnly wondered that herself, but she might know the answer, "This must have happened from a mistake I made... a long time ago. My memories... aren't what they were, but... I know the reason why. I always knew."

Ruby moved to sit next to her mother's ghostly form and tried to grasp her hand, pretending that she could feel it, "Tell me."

Summer hesitated for a moment, but nodded her head and mimicked Ruby by pretending to grasp her hand, "It all started when you were a baby. Whenever I wasn't tending to my family, I spent my life fulfilling my duty as a Huntress to protect the people of Remnant in whatever way I could. Most of my efforts went into fighting. I fought the creatures of Grimm. I fought bandits. I fought criminals. Occasionally, I even fought other Hunters. I was already blessed with knowledge and experience, and I would win almost every time, but... no matter how much I did or how hard I tried, there were always victims. People died. Villages burned. Lives were ruined. And in spite of my great triumphs, it was the tinier failures that weighed on me. These failures grew into doubts upon myself, and those doubts eventually grew into... fear."

Ruby felt like she was seeing a side of her mother that she never saw before, "What were you afraid of?"

The sound of that question made Summer hold back her tears, "Losing my family... I was afraid that one day, you and your sister's lives would be threatened. I was afraid that your father and I would fail to protect you. I was afraid that I would fail to protect him. When I confided in him, he would comfort me. He would tell me that 'everything would always be as rosy as I was'."

Both Huntresses shared a laugh with one another, before Ruby's smile faded, "You know... Yang told me once that Dad really shut down after we lost you."

Summer was holding back more tears, "He did? He was always the stronger one of the two of us. E-even after... I can't even imagine him of all people just... I really meant that much to him?"

Ruby was also holding back tears, "Of course you did! Dad, me, and Yang, we all loved you!"

A single tear came from Summer's smiling face, "I loved you, too. And that's why I wanted to protect you all, at any cost."

Afterwards, Summer paused for a moment to think, "Now... Where was I? Ah. I don't quite remember... how much time passed since I confided in your father that night, but I do remember... a great battle between many Huntsmen and Grimm that lasted several days."

Ruby listened in like this was one of the old stories she was read as a child, "Were you guarding something? Maybe a Relic or a Maiden?"

Summer grasped her head and closed her eyes, "I... I'm sorry. The foundation for that great battle escapes me. I've been trapped here for so long. My memories aren't what they were. But... I remember that when the battle was over, I was the only Huntress that remained alive. I remember the sadness that came from the sight of my fallen comrades... My friends... And I remember the relief I felt knowing that your father wasn't present in that battle... and I remember... him."

Ruby was curious, "Dad?"

Summer kept trying to remember, "No. I knew him from... somewhere before. It's... It was..."

Eventually, Summer gritted her teeth in frustration, "Nrgh! I'm sorry. I can't remember a single thing about that man anymore. All I can remember now... is what he asked me. 'Do you possess a simple soul?' Something like that."

Ruby thought about that question for a moment, "Mmm... Nope. Nobody's ever asked me that before. Sorry!"

Summer smiled and shook her head, "I guess it can't be helped. It doesn't really matter. What really mattered was what he told me that day. Ruby... We are both part of an ancient bloodline that persisted since before the rise of the Kingdoms."

Ruby continued where Summer left off, "The Silver-Eyed Warriors. I already know. Uncle Qrow told me. He said we had special powers."

Summer nodded, "Qrow? I see. But it's not as simple for us to truly **wield** that power. There have been times where one from our bloodline have tapped into this power by accident, through great emotional distress."

Ruby immediately recalled the sight of Pyrrha's death with great sadness, while Summer continued with the exposition, "But these events can result in grave injury, and even death, toward the people around us... as well as leave us vulnerable after the use of our power in this way strains us physically when coalesced with the emotional stress. That's why... when the warriors of our bloodline, our own ancestors, were born, they would be taken from the arms of their parents and subjected to agonizing and bloody rituals each and every day of their lives until their ninth year. These rituals would push these infants and children into their absolute limits, leaving them in constant pain, both physically and emotionally."

Ruby's response was quiet and somber, "That's terrible."

Summer nodded, "It was. This suffering left the children emotionally numb, but also with constant nightmares. In other words, these warriors could use their power at any time, with no provocation, but they were also desensitized to their own suffering, so that the creatures of Grimm could not feed off of their negative emotions. With perfect control of their power, and absolutely no fear, pity, or remorse, they were the perfect warriors in battle... and broken shells everywhere else. With the rise of the Huntsman Academies, it was believed that there was no longer a need for our bloodline and those cruel rituals, and so they were unanimously banned throughout Remnant, and these perfect warriors faded into mere legend. The man I met that day... Even he didn't know exactly how these rituals were performed, but he claimed to have discovered another way."

Ruby understood where this was going, "The source of the Silver-Eyed Warrior's power."

Although Ruby didn't know why, Summer was getting visibly nervous about this topic, "Y-yes."

Ruby, on the other hand, was getting more hopeful, "Then, you know where it is! Can you tell me how to get to it?"

Summer looked horrified and shook her head, "N-no! No, I can't!"

Ruby was confused, "You can't? Mom, please try and remember! Everyone and everything in Remnant could be at stake, and if something isn't done soon, then..."

Summer gritted her teeth and kept shaking her head, "No, I remember this **perfectly**! I... I just won't let you suffer the same fate I did!"

Both Huntresses were silent for a brief moment, before Ruby reacted with even more confusion, "You mean... You're trapped here because you used the Silver-Eyed power?"

Summer calmed down and nodded, "Yes."

Ruby was still confused, "Wait, that doesn't make sense. If our bloodline... Those people with the silver eyes that came before us... If they used that power, why aren't they trapped here?"

Summer quietly answered, "Because they never tapped into the power at its source. Only I did."

Ruby started to understand, "You didn't go through those rituals, so the source was the only way you could use that power. Right?"

Summer stayed silent for a moment, before Ruby asked again, "Mom? Please... tell me."

After Ruby's prodding, Summer relented, "Okay. I'll tell you... everything. Maybe then... Maybe if you know the truth, you won't go through with this. Please..."

After witnessing all of the pain Ruby witnessed, she wasn't about to make any promises, "We'll see about that."

Summer was already nervous after hearing Ruby say that, "The man that I mentioned earlier... The one I can't remember now... I met him before in life, and I felt I could trust him. He was the one who told me where to find the source."

Ruby turned around to look at the image that most likely leads back into that temple, "You mean that creepy temple... where that freaky tentacle orb thing is?"

Summer nodded, "Yes. I didn't have any real idea what to expect, or if that information was even accurate, so when I made that journey, I asked a fellow Huntress of mine to accompany me. There was a lot of walking before we discovered that place, and as we were exploring it... I remember there being two things that were on my mind. The first thing was that I wanted to do whatever it took to make Remnant a world where you and your sister could live without fear of the creatures of Grimm."

Summer became a little angry all of a sudden, "The second thing... The second thing was that whoever it was that designed that temple deserved to be gruesomely ripped apart by Beowolves."

Ruby burst into laughter, so Summer waited for Ruby to regain her composure before continuing, "When we... **eventually** reached the temple's inner sanctum, we had to solve... a riddle... before we would discover that, uh... gateway between worlds. I remember there being a lot of statues. We had to rotate them in a specific order, while avoiding any 'false statues' that could attack us if we came too close."

Ruby had a moment of realization just now as it explained quite a bit about that temple. That explained the statue that slapped her earlier. It also explained why all Ruby had to do was stand on a pedestal and walk up stairs to reach that gateway into this world. Her mother had already did the hard part of unlocking it when she was alive, and it's not like anyone came to 're-lock' that gateway or something. No wonder it felt so easy...

Summer continued her exposition, "When the last statue was in place, I remember hearing some kind of 'unlocking' sound. I remember... seeing this light coming from the center of the inner sanctum. My friend and I... We went toward this light, and it became brighter as I drew closer to it. The light didn't change from my friend's movements, so I was very sure that it was... responding to me... Acknowledging my presence... I remember witnessing the very ground next to us rise to form a floating path, and we saw the gateway open before us. As we drew closer to this gateway, these... things emerged from it and attacked us both."

Ruby took a 'guess' at what these things was, "When you say something emerged, you're talking about the tentacles, right?"

Summer cringed for a second, "Yes. Those things grabbed us and.."

Ruby couldn't resist cracking a smile, "You mean the tentacles?"

Summer tried to act annoyed, but also couldn't resist cracking a smile, " **Stop saying tentacles**!"

Both Huntresses shared another laugh, before Summer continued with the exposition, "When we were both ensnared, I could only watch helplessly as..."

Summer's disposition immediately turned into one of sadness, "The gateway... ripped her limbs apart! I will... **never** forget the agony I saw on her face! Then, it... squeezed her! It crushed her! I remember the blood seeping out of her body... The snaps that came from her breaking bones... And the screams! I couldn't save her... I couldn't do anything but watch... I watched as every ounce of her body was devoured by that... gateway... leaving no trace of her. Not even a piece of hair or a drop of blood... Then... the gateway pulled me in... unharmed... and when I woke up, I was here."

Ruby had her hand on her cheek as if she was thinking, "So, the gate let you in, but not your friend. Maybe it has something to do with our bloodline..? Wait, you couldn't have just died right then and there. I'm still alive. I think."

Summer validated Ruby's guess, "Yes, I was still alive then. And yes, I do believe that the gateway is sentient enough to harm those outside of our bloodline. After I discovered the source..."

Ruby's eyes widened in anticipation, "It's here?"

Summer looked at Ruby with a mix of regret and fear, and avoided her question, "I... returned to Remnant... through the same way I came in. The gateway pulled me back to the temple's inner sanctum when I approached it. After I left that temple and returned to civilization, I saw that man again. I remember that he was very busy with... something. Yes, he was talking with some of the Huntsman-in-training... Advising them... What was it?"

Summer closed her eyes and shook her head, "No... I don't remember. But I do remember the way he looked at me. He told me to 'live on for the friend I lost and the family I still have'. He knew. He knew that I had succeeded."

Summer paused briefly before continuing the exposition, "The next time I saw your father... He noticed... Said something about my eyes. I looked in a mirror, and saw light pouring out of my eyes. I turned off the lights, but I could still see clearly. He said that 'my eyes light up the room'."

Both Huntresses laughed a little more before Summer continued the exposition, "I remember protecting another village from the Grimm after I drew from the source. I didn't have much time to discover what this power actually did, but I learned very quickly. When I saw the Grimm coming toward me, I drew my weapon and... I felt something leak out of my eyes before I could strike a Beowulf. Whatever it was... it flew right into that Beowulf and froze it stiff! As more and more of... whatever it was... came from my eyes, I could see that Beowulf disintegrate into black ashes instantly! The same thing happened to the other Grimm around me. They would freeze and die before me!"

Ruby recalled the old story that her uncle Qrow told her, "A single look could strike a Grimm down... just like Uncle Qrow said."

Summer nodded, "Yes. But that wasn't all... I didn't know it at first, but I could also use this power to affect the world around me. I remember witnessing a great fire engulf one of the building in that village, and I looked around trying to find something to put it out. Then, all of a sudden... it came out of my eyes again... and went toward the sky. Then, it started raining."

Ruby responded with awe, "You wanted to put out the fire, and your power made it rain."

Summer nodded again, "Yes. In the short time I had this power, I could do... anything. Whenever I wanted something... Anything... The world itself would do my bidding. Every time I went into battle, my very presence would simply end it the way I wan... No, the way I **commanded** it to. No more innocent lives lost, no more destruction... I remember growing a little more... prideful every time I used this power. And... why wouldn't I? I felt like a god! I remember using this power outside of battle many times. I remember using it to bend the branches of a tree toward the ground, so a crying boy's cat could get down safely... I remember using it to open the contents of a vending machine when it wouldn't take my Lien... I even remember using it to turn on the TV when your father lost the remote."

Summer slowly lost any positivity in her emotions, "But... I would later discover that there was a grave price to pay for using this power. I remember waking up very early one morning when my foot started aching. I felt like someone just stabbed it, so I went to the bathroom to take a look, and I saw a big hole in my foot that was filled with what looked like... silver dust. I tried to use my power to heal my wound, but the flesh on my foot started... cracking. I showed your father later that morning, and we both agreed... that I had to stop using this power. I promised him that I would never to use it again, but... I couldn't... No, I **didn't** keep it. Every time I saw danger... Every time somebody's life was on the line, I was afraid... that my mundane skills wouldn't be enough. It was... compulsive... like a reflex. I... I just couldn't leave anyone to die. No matter what the situation was, I felt like I had to save everyone. Your father must have known... I remember him looking at me with such sadness in his eyes. Neither of us wanted to bring it up. Some amount of time after that, your father and I went into battle against the Grimm... together. He must have been afraid that I would use this power again, so he kept an eye on me. I remember my more mundane skills growing rusty since I hadn't used them for a while. I remember missing even motionless targets multiple times in a row. I remember there being so many Grimm that day, but for experienced Huntsmen like us, it should still have been a simple assignment. But I kept making silly mistakes. Your father kept getting hit again and again as the swarm of Grimm outnumbered us like a tidal wave. And that's when I felt the fear again... I couldn't fail. I couldn't let him die. **I couldn't lose him**! That's why... I used it again."

Ruby was anxious about where this was going, "The Silver-Eyed power."

Summer was holding back tears again, "Yes. It was the reason I came to this place in the first place. I had to protect my family at any cost! I remember using this power on every Grimm I could see... again and again and again. I remember feeling like my skin was being pulled apart, but I just kept using it! And then... I felt my body collapse. I remember seeing silver dust evaporate into the air above me... and I remember the look on your father's face as he was begging me to 'stay with him'. And... I remember apologizing to him over and over... for leaving him... For leaving Yang... For leaving you... And then... I woke up here, in this place... like this."

The look on Ruby's face was one of pure misery, "And that's how you died."

Summer's voice grew quiet with guilt and sadness, "Worse... I'm trapped here. Every time I try to leave this place, I get... pulled back toward that light."

Ruby watched Summer demonstrate this by walking away from the light beaming from the hole in the floor-ceiling, and after taking a few steps, she could see her get pulled backwards like she was made of metal and the light was a giant magnet.

After seeing Summer sitting in the translucent white roses, yelling in frustration, Ruby could easily interpret what that light really was, "That's the source."

Summer immediately looked at Ruby with fear, so Ruby knew she was right, "That's why it's been pulling you back. You became part of it."

As Ruby's face turned angry, she extended her Crescent Rose and aimed the gun end of it toward the light, shooting at it several times. Nothing happened. That was when the gravity of the situation really struck Ruby.

Summer looked at Ruby with even more guilt, "The source is eternal. It never fades. It's only light. You can't 'kill' light."

Ruby looked back at Summer while holding back more tears, "Mom... I'm really sorry. I... I wish I could help. I wish... I could do something."

Summer closed her eyes and gave Ruby a light smile, "You **can** do something."

Ruby put away her Crescent Rose and moved her face closer in anticipation, "What?"

Summer kept her eyes closed and her mouth smiling, "Leave this place. Leave the source of the Silver-Eyed power behind, and don't look back. Don't let your fears or your failures consume you. Just live... Live for the people that haven't left you. Do your best with what you have. Ruby, please just... hold on to your hope. Hope that one day, no matter what happens... you will be with the people you love and cherish forever... in death. I... I failed you. I failed my family. I put the needs of Remnant and its people over the ones I love. I guess... this is the punishment I deserve."

Ruby was shocked to hear something like that come from her, of all people, "No! Mom, don't say **anything** like that!"

Summer opened her eyes and looked downward in despair, "I am trapped in this place, and the gateway will not allow anyone without silver eyes here."

Summer started to quiver uncontrollably as her voice was stifled, "Taiyang... Yang... I... will never... see them... again."

Summer finally collapsed. She hugged her knees and laid down in the translucent white roses, sobbing uncontrollably, and all Ruby could do was watch helplessly as Summer apologized profusely, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I never knew this could happen! I... I can't make things right! I'll never have another chance! I'll never tuck you in bed again! I'll never make you cookies again! I'll never be a part of your life again! I..."

The rest of Summer's apology was incomprehensible. Ruby was already heartbroken when she saw the fate of her mother, but this? This was the sight of her mother, the great baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters, **completely broken**!

Ruby knelt downward and whispered a song in Summer's ear,

"Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.  
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.  
Black the beast descends from shadows.  
Yellow beauty burns gold."

Summer calmed down a little and looked up at Ruby, "You... You remember that song?"

Ruby smiled while holding back tears, "Yep. Dad told me how you used to hold me as a baby. You sang that song for me when I was crying, and I'd go to sleep."

Summer was both happy and sad now, "That's... nice. I'm so glad to have been a part of your life... even if it was only a little bit. But... you don't have to remain in the past anymore. You can't help me. No one can. Forget about the source... Forget about me."

Ruby slowly stood up straight with a stern look on her face, "Nope!"

Ruby walked through Summer's ghostly form, toward the source.

Summer saw Ruby walking toward the source, "What are you doing?"

Ruby didn't answer, and Summer was growing terrified, " **What are you doing**?"

Ruby stopped for a moment and answered without looking back at Summer, "I guess you never heard... All that stuff I told you when I was visiting your grave... Beacon and Haven have fallen! So many villages have burned to the ground! Countless people have died! And now, there are more Grimm than ever! At this rate... I really think we might lose. **That's** why I came here! **That's** why I need this power! I'm not strong enough to help anybody... the way I am now... and I'm really scared. I'm scared of seeing someone else die because I wasn't fast enough to reach them! I'm scared of watching another Academy fall because I wasn't strong enough to fight with them! And I'm scared of being trapped here in the end, because I'll never know if there's anyone out there that will still need me when I'm gone! But I'm not going to just let it end like this! I'm not going to just sit there and watch the rest of the world burn! **I'm not going to let my fears stop me**!"

Summer tried to stop Ruby by grabbing her, but it was completely futile, " **You can't do this**!"

Ruby saw from the translucent hand sticking out in front of her that Summer was afraid for her, "Mom, you've been stuck here for longer than you can even remember. Your memories aren't what they used to be. So, maybe you've forgotten... that you were a leader once. You were the leader of Team STRQ, and it wasn't just about you. And now, I'm a leader, so it's not just about me. When I was first enrolled to Beacon, I was the leader of Team RWBY. And after Beacon fell, I rounded up the remains of another team and became the leader of Team RNJR. Now, Haven fell, and I haven't heard from any of them since! I don't know if they're even alive... and I'm scared to find out. But I have to search for them! I have to try, and maybe this power can help me find them! Maybe we can still win! Maybe there can still be a happy ending for the people who are still with us! I know that's what all of my teammates, my friends, would want more than anything. Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, my sister, Yang, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren... They're all amazing in their own way and they deserve a great leader! I'm not allowed to be a failure."

Summer could only watch helplessly at what Ruby was about to do, "But... You'll damn yourself."

Ruby stopped again and couldn't stop the tears from flowing anymore, "I know."

When Ruby stepped into the light, her body felt like it was burning everywhere. She collapsed on her knees and screamed, with silver light beaming out of her eyes and mouth. Some of the translucent white roses were turning red... An eternal reminder of the pact that Ruby was making.

Summer collapsed on her knees for a different reason and whispered to herself, "Why? Why is this happening?"

When the process was finished, a huge shockwave erupted from Ruby, and she fell to the ceiling-floor. Her eyes were glowing and oozing with power. She could feel it! After taking a moment to catch her breath, she pulled herself up and saw Summer, more miserable than ever.

Ruby took a deep breath and walked toward Summer, who had a blank look on her face, before kneeling down to her level, "Mom? I know that having to see me go through with this... and knowing that I'll just end up being separated from Dad, and Yang, and my friends... is horrible for you. And... it's okay if you don't want to say anything to me. But I just want you to understand. Okay?"

Ruby took another deep breath as Summer remained silent, "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves! I wanted... to be just like you. And if I just stopped... If I just gave up after seeing you like this... I wouldn't just be betraying those people. I'd be betraying myself."

Ruby took another deep breath, "I made a lot of friends at Beacon. It's where I met my teammates... Both teams. They're... kind of like another family to me... and they know that I would do whatever it takes to help them. But there's more to it than just that. All of my teammates... They all have friends and family that they care about that lived outside Beacon... and I know that they would do anything to help them. So, as a leader, I would be responsible for helping those people, too. And those people... They would have people they cared about... so I'd help them, too. What I'm trying to say is... that everybody in the world... Every person, every pet, every living thing... We're all connected. We're all like one big family! And that's why it's so important for me... No, for everyone... to help as many people as we can, even total strangers. That's what you did... That's all. You didn't put the people of Remnant over us. You put them **with** us... just like I am now. And... whenever I see someone get hurt... or die... because I couldn't protect them, then... I feel like I..."

Ruby and Summer both spoke this sentence simultaneously, "Haven't done enough..."

Both Huntresses looked at one another, before Summer had a much calmer disposition than earlier, "Yes... I knew that feeling. It was a long time ago."

Ruby smiled more than she ever had for a while, "Yeah. You always knew. It's what you taught me. I guess it's like they say: like mother, like daughter!"

Ruby stood back up and spoke with hope again, "Mom, I know I've only been here for a little while, and I know that being stuck here can get really lonely for you, but I have to go now. I have a lot to do back in Remnant. A lot of people are counting on me! But... when it's all over... When I'm finished doing everything I can as a Huntress and a leader... I'll die someday... and then, I'll... I'll keep you company."

Summer's eyes and mouth widened in realization, "What are you..? You... you tapped into the source... just so I wouldn't be alone?"

Ruby gave Summer one of the sweetest smiles she ever gave anyone, "Yep! The people I grew up with, and the people I met at Beacon... They're all family to me, and I'm gonna miss them someday, but at least they'll have each other. You won't... You won't have anyone else here, so if I can't find a way to help you, then at least I can make sure you don't go through this alone."

Summer cried out tears of joy, "I... I don't know what to..."

Ruby had a look of contentment on her face, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I love you, and I always will! Just... hang in there. Okay? I'll be back here before you know it! Wish me luck!"

Summer dried her tears and, in her ghostly state, grabbed two of the translucent roses: one white and one red. She tied them together in a band and held it toward her heart. After so many long years of guilt and loneliness, she finally had something to look forward to, "T-thank... you!"

Summer shouted to Ruby as she was walking toward the gateway, "I love you too! I love you with all my heart!"

Ruby took one last look at Summer and smiled, before walking toward the gateway back into Remnant. As she drew closer to it, she braced herself for tentacles. No, wait... Tendrils. **Tendrils**! (That came out wrong.) When they grabbed her, she didn't struggle this time. She just closed her eyes and clamped her mouth shut. When she was thrown back into that room in the temple, she landed on the cold ground on her feet and one of her hands. **Way** more dignified than losing consciousness... Immediately when examining her surroundings, Ruby could tell that she could see better in the dark room. The light in the pedestal was a bit dim, so just having this Silver-Eyed power was like having night vision. She remembered dropping Lionheart's scroll here earlier, and took a moment to look for it. Without warning, Ruby felt something come from her eyes. It was strange. It was as if her eyes were pointing her to where the scroll was. It was kind of like a compass in a first-person perspective video game that told her where to go. This is convenient.

When she found the map, she held out her arm and walked over to pick it up. Once again, without warning, Ruby felt something come out of her eyes. This time, it shot toward the map and flung it right at her hand! This... is insane! Could the Silver-Eyed power really do **anything**? There was only one way to find out. It was time to test them out. She walked toward the statue that slapped her earlier, and she was going to see if she could destroy it! It's just like trying out a new weapon. In order to use it effectively, she had to know the exact parameters.

Ruby made a ridiculous gesture with her arm covering her eyes, and then slowly uncovered them while saying the equally ridiculous phrase, "Ruby Rose commands you!"

She pointed at the statue and shouted, " **Die**!"

Once again, Ruby felt it come from her eyes and it shot toward the statue. After a brief moment, the statue started cracking. Then, the statue shattered, along with the entire pillar attached to it! Ruby gasped at the sight of this. After another brief moment to take in what she witnessed, Ruby grinned! This... is... **awesome**!

She knew she couldn't just keep using this power constantly like her mother did, so it was time to stop now. She had to be careful, not just for her own sake, but for any time someone is around her. While she intended to destroy the statue, the pillar attached to it ended up going with it. Obviously, that meant that this power had a small area of effect. Anyway, it was time to go now. She walked back toward the... Ruby heard a crunching sound comes from under her foot. It was that little plastic ball she threw down the stairs earlier. She picked it up and put it back in her belt pouch.

Now, she walked back toward the stairs... Those same long set of stairs... Okay, maybe she could test the Silver-Eyed power one more time? If she combined this power with her own Semblance, could she **fly**? There was a big hole in the middle of the stairs that lead all the way at the top. While looking up, Ruby spread her legs and bent them downward, ready to leap straight up. When her eyes started to shimmer, she jumped straight up... and kept going like a rocket! She reached the top in mere seconds, and when she was about to hit the roof of the temple's entrance, her natural Academy-trained reflexes took over and she flipped, hitting the roof, feet first. The roof of the temple's entrance cracked upon impact. After she hit the roof, gravity pulled her off of the roof. Ruby's eyes had small glowing tendrils coming out of them, just like when she accidentally used this power before Beacon fell. The tendrils changed shape to resemble wings, which slowed Ruby's descent and let her control where she would land. She glided outside of the temple and landed outside, feet first. There was nothing left here, so it was time to go.

When Ruby landed, she stood up and quietly thought about what her mother's ultimate fate... A fate that she will one day share. From here on, there was no going back now. The only way left for her was forward. And so, she goes to find her friends... Her teammates... No, they were her family now... just like her father, her sister, and her uncle. She could search all over Remnant now, using her newfound powers to track them down. Hopefully, some of them already found each other. And when they join together again, things will be different. This time, they won't fail... Not again. This time, they'll win! Team WTCH, the White Fang, the Grimm, and Salem... They can all bet on that!


	2. Death Maiden

**_...and that concludes the report about the increasingly vicious activities of the Royal Flush gang. In other news, more people have claimed to have bared witness to the same legendary figure once again. Viewers may remember that rumors of a legend being made real have been spreading since only four days ago._ **

**_This legend was about the Silver-Eyed Warriors. It is said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. The Creatures of Grimm feared these warriors, and it is said that even a single look from one of these warriors could strike a Grimm down. For most people, this was little more than a story used to lull small children to sleep, or to bring comfort to those that lost their homes or their families from Grimm attacks, and even though people with silver eyes have been seen once in a while, most of them didn't display any power that was considered 'out of the ordinary' when it came to weapons and Semblances, so most people whose lives didn't revolve around fighting didn't see them any differently than any other person. That is, until recently..._ **

It's only been a week since Ruby claimed the Silver-Eyed power through its source, and word of her latest exploits spread like an epidemic across Anima. It seemed like every day, there was always a village being attacked or someone being seconds away from being ripped apart by the Grimm. Every day, she would have to stop what she was doing to save that village or person. Every day, her deeds would be told and sung about to the point that the MNN would gobble them up like cookies and use the leftover crumbs as bait to fish for ratings... from viewers like everybody. Should she be... thanking someone? Maybe, but being put on a pedestal was just... weird.

**_Natives from all around the continent have claimed to have bared witness to one of these Silver-Eyed Warriors. Some of them even claim to have been rescued by this warrior from the destructive purging of the Creatures of Grimm. Older viewers may recall the VNN reporting similar events from Vale over 15 years ago, though it is not known if there is any relation between this new warrior and the old one. Out of those that claim to owe their lives to this new warrior, the reason for this varies from one person to another. Some claim that the legends were true, and that this warrior slew the Grimm by simply looking at them. Others claim that this warrior simply resorted to some extraordinary, but well-known tactics using weapons or powers that wouldn't seem out of place from the Huntsman that were sworn to uphold the peace of the world._ **

Ruby could see this latest MNN report from a nearby projection while sitting by herself in one of Mistral's black markets. The lens from her Crescent Rose's scope was shattered from one of her latest encounters with the Grimm, so she had to wait for a new one to be built from scratch to match the Crescent Rose's precise specifications. Ever since Haven fell, most of its citizens have evacuated out of the city, so all of the more reputable weapon shops in Mistral have either closed down from the lack of business, or ended up being pillaged by looters. This meant that the city's dark underbelly was now, ironically, the safest part of the city. As her Uncle Qrow once put it, 'There's plenty of places to hide in Mistral. That's why you gotta know where to look.' Ruby had discovered this particular black market with the help of her Silver-Eyed power. One of its many applications include the ability to see the heat signatures of humans (as well as the cold hatred of the Grimm) through walls and other physical obstructions. During the time she was searching Mistral for a weapon shop that was still open, she stumbled upon an unusually large cluster of people positioned a few feet below the ground next to her. It was either an underground shelter for those that lost their homes, an underground business, or a place where criminals could operate outside of the law. No matter which one it was, that narrowed the search way down.

Even though it was only a black market, Ruby still kept her back to a wall and her hand on her scythe. Somebody could have jumped her at any time, but after a while, it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen. Most of the more unsavory-looking people that came across Ruby got a good look at her face, and her 'glowy silver eyes of god-mode sue', steered clear of her. As weird as the attention was, it was nice to know that the MNN was helpful for something, even though she **did** miss having the chance to go 'Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!' on an unsuspecting would-be mugger. The woman in the projection appears to have a striking resemblance to the news reporter of the VNN, Lisa Lavender. Wait... The name on the bottom of the projection... Vivian Lavender? Are the two reporters related, like sisters? Weird...

**_However, the most unusual of these reports come from a very small number of these natives who claim to have witnessed this warrior use some other kind of power... One that was very different from what the legends suggest. One native claimed to have witnessed a lightning bolt strike a flying Griffon from above, causing it to plummet to the earth, where it would land right in front of this warrior, who would then cut the helpless Grimm in two in a single stroke! Another one claimed to have witnessed an avalanche coming from a nearby mountain that crushed an entire pack of Boarbatusks, while the warrior was hovering safely above the ground with silver wings sticking out of their eyes! Another one claimed to have witnessed a pack of Beowolves suddenly start sinking into the ground, while the warrior picked them off one by one with a sniper rifle while they were stuck! The only thing that nearly every eyewitness account has unanimously stated regarding this warrior was that they appeared to be a young girl who isn't even old enough to shave. Aside from that, the credibility of these claims have been called into question numerous times, but even the most skeptical citizens cannot ignore the sheer number of these claims and the recent phenomena that has occurred all around the world since the past year. Who, or what, is she? Is she truly one of the legendary warriors, or is she human? Or, is she something far greater? Some of those that were saved from 15 years ago are now known to worship their savior as a goddess. Just what will the sightings of this new warrior entail?_ **

Huh... A goddess? Really? It wasn't too long ago that Ruby wanted to be a normal girl with normal knees, and now she's a goddess? Awkward... Some of the more unusual reports were greatly exaggerated compared to what actually happened, too. For example, the part about 'cutting a Griffon in two' wasn't quite what happened. While she **did** use this power to strike down a Griffon with a lightning bolt from above, that was only because it was hard to hit the throat or head of such a large moving target with a sniper rifle from below. And, after it did hit the ground, she just decapitated the Griffon. She didn't cut the whole thing in two! As for the 'crushing Boarbatusks with an avalanche' thing, there was already a lot of rumbling coming from that mountain before she found those Boarbatusks. She just used this power to change the direction of the wind, and then let gravity do the rest. Finally, that part about 'making Beowolves sink into the ground' was straight up wrong. There was a nearby dam that broke from Grimm attacks, so the water that came from it poured into the ground from the other side days ago. Of course those Beowolves got their feet stuck in the ground... It was just muddy from all that water! Ruby just took advantage of that and picked off the Beowolves. But, no amount of humility or clarification was going to change Amina's opinion of Ruby now. All it takes is a few 'miracles', and most of the continent thinks she's a goddess now. The MNN saw to that...

Actually, this was a lot like what Pyrrha used to go through. Everybody (except Jaune) used to put her on a pedestal before she died. If anything, people now see her as some kind of martyr after her death, so that pedestal still didn't go away. It probably never will, so Ruby probably won't outlive this, either. She knew it was almost a year since she watched Pyrrha die in front of her, but the tragedy just came back fresh in Ruby's mind seemingly out of nowhere. It seemed to happen just when she heard the news reporter's voice on the projection. Vivian Lavender's voice just happened to sound a lot like Pyrrha's. Come to think of it, Lisa Lavender's voice from VNN sounded like Pyrrha's, too. Weird...

As much as Ruby's mind drifted toward what happened in the past, even the Silver-Eyed power couldn't undo it, nor could it fix the emotional pain from it. In fact, it couldn't fix the scope on Crescent Rose, or do much of anything that was remotely constructive, either. This power could only be for finding things (including living things), killing monsters (or people), and twisting the weather and the very fabric of nature around her. Obviously, this power exists for one specific purpose: hunting. This was fitting, given her current occupation. But even then, her newfound ability to track down anything she wanted to find with her silver eyes wasn't as useful as she thought it would be. As amazing as her Silver-Eyed power was, she discovered a few days ago that everything related to this power has a limited range in which it can be used. A few days before the lens of her Crescent Rose's scope was shattered, she was able to use it as a visual aid for the purpose of testing this power's capabilities, and discovered that the effectiveness of her power has a maximum range of about 300 meters from her. That's less than a fifth of a mile, and less than half of Crescent Rose's sniper rifle range. Well, a more optimistic 'Rubyish' way to say that is that the Crescent Rose isn't made completely obsolete with this power.

The point is that it wouldn't be as easy to find and band all of her teammates back together again, especially since she couldn't have this particular power active at all times. Despite Ruby's consistently high optimism and newfound power, she was actually more worried about the possibility of her own death than she ever was before. Last year, she was always too innocent to the point that she didn't understand the weight of mortality, and because of that, she had no fear of death. She envisioned happier things like 'looking down from the stars' or at least reincarnation. But now... Now, she knew the truth. Her truth, at least... She knew her mother was waiting for her in the end. And, she knew that her mother would be the only person she would ever lay eyes on when she met that end... The moment where she will be condemned to an eternity in a beautiful, but empty prison, just like she was. That was the price she had to pay for this power, and she accepted that fate for the sake of Remnant... and her mother. But, it still worried her. Her mother died because she used the Silver-Eyed power too much, so Ruby knew she had to use it in moderation. But, there were many times when it became necessary to use it to protect someone. Her growing reputation as a 'goddess' was a testament to that. What if she dies from using it too much, long before some climactic battle with Team WTCH, or even Salem, when this power might be needed the most? Or worse, what if she dies before she even gets to see her teammates or her family again? She was a leader, and she wasn't allowed to be a failure. And, if... No, **when** she reunited with her friends and family... How would she tell them about the implications of her newfound power when they see her glowing eyes? Would she just keep the sad parts of it to herself? And, what about... her father, Taiyang? If what her mother told her was true, then he was with her during their last moments. Her father would know exactly what kind of power she has if he sees her eyes glowing like that. Could she do it? Could she really put him through something like that all ov..?

A man's voice came from the shopkeeper's stand behind the iron bars, "Ruby Rose?"

You know what? Terrible thoughts are terrible, so this distraction couldn't have come at a better time. It felt weird to have to pay for something with a set of bars between her and the shopkeeper, but that was nothing compared to what was going to come next.

The shopkeeper bowed to Ruby from behind the bars and presented the repaired Crescent Rose to her from under the bars. Ruby stared at him with an awkward look on her face as she slowly retrieved her 'sweetheart'.

Ruby ignored the bowing and pulled out her wallet, "So, how much is it?"

The shopkeeper kept his head bowed and clasped his hands above his head, "Oh! No, no, no, no, no... No charge! I told you I repay you my debts!"

Ruby didn't know what 'debt' he was talking about, "What debt?"

The shopkeeper rose his head, "You saved my life from the Royal Flush gang! We were just outside the city! Remember?"

Ruby remembered fighting some (fairly weak) guys wearing suits with playing card symbols on them, and she remembered how they all fled for their lives in less than a minute, but this guy didn't ring any bells, "Oh... I was just doing my job, sir. Yeah, I remember... you. You're... the guy... that, uh... Yeah!"

The shopkeeper clearly didn't notice how badly Ruby was lying, " **She remembers me**!"

When the shopkeeper bowed his head again, Ruby could finally figure out what was happening. She heard the door open behind her and saw two more people walk in. There was an ordinary looking woman wearing normal clothes and a little robed Faunus girl with wings sticking out of her back and loops in her hair. The woman that came through had immediately bowed her head just like the shopkeeper was, while the little girl remained straight.

Ruby looked back and forth between the shopkeeper and the woman that walked in, and then slouched in weariness, "Okay! Could everyone please stop... worshipping me?"

Neither person stopped bowing, so Ruby's fists started clenching before taking a deep breath, "Look, I know I did a lot of really... cool... amazing things lately, but I don't wanna be put on a pedestal! I'm not a goddess! I know my eyes look like they could shoot out laser beams... or something, but I'm still just like any other person on the inside! And, I still think I should try and pay you for thiii-aaah..."

Ruby had just noticed the price of weapon repair. This place charged **four times** as much Lien as a regular weapon shop! She couldn't even afford that!

Ruby changed what she was going to say into something else as her teeth slowly clenched, "Aaahn... second thought, thank you... very... much."

Ruby silently reminded herself that she wasn't just taking advantage of these people. She... apparently... saved the shopkeeper from some Grimm... at some point. He might have just been one of the people lucky enough for her to stumble upon when looking all over Anima for her teammates. And now, he was just repaying her for her help. That's all. It didn't feel any different from when Team RNJR (or JNRR) killed that Geist, and Jaune got his equipment upgraded. Right? Then again, the team had a previous arrangement with the village's mayor, while this time, there was no such arrangement.

Ruby went to leave the place and turned around to see the two people bowing to her again and whispered to herself, "Normal knees, normal knees..."

As she left the building and started to walk upstairs toward the streets, Ruby took a few minutes to look through her repaired sniper scope to make sure everything worked properly.

When she was finished and was about to go back up to the surface, she could hear the shopkeeper's voice sound faintly like, "No... No, please **wait**!"

Ruby noticed this and went to investigate. Before she even had a chance to run back inside, her thoughts about wondering what was happening back inside the black market immediately caused her Silver-Eyed power to activate subconsciously, which caused her see the heat signatures of the people inside through the wall. She could see one person cowering where the shopkeeper was standing, so that was obviously the shopkeeper himself. She could see another person standing next to him holding his arm out toward the shopkeeper. It was probably holding a knife or gun toward him, but she couldn't tell. She could see one more person running toward the door.

When the ordinary looking woman burst out of the door, she crashed right into Ruby and nearly fell on top of her, "Please... My dad... He..."

Ruby rushed inside right away before letting the woman finish speaking, "I can handle this! Run! Get help!"

After she ran back in the black market, she saw the shopkeeper being held up at gunpoint by a man in a fancy suit with sunglasses that look like clovers. Both the shopkeeper and the gunman were standing behind the iron bars, so the gunman must have gotten in through a back door. That little winged Faunus girl was also still here, and she was casually sitting in the corner of the room with a smile on her face, as if nothing was happening.

The gunman's facial expression tensed the very moment he noticed Ruby, and he spoke into what looked like a small microphone attached to his shoulder, "She's here!"

Before she had a chance to react, the gunman shot the shopkeeper in the back of the head at point blank range, killing him instantly!

While Ruby stared in shock at the shopkeeper's lifeless open eyes through the iron bars, the gunman immediately tried to run out of the black market through the back while shouting, "Nobody cheats the Royal Flush and gets away with it!"

The sight of a man murdered in front of her and his killer trying to flee from the consequences caused a perverse rage to come over her. At that very moment, her Silver-Eyed power went off again, causing the gunman's neck to twist backwards with a sickening snap!

She reacted with horror as the lifeless gunman's body fell limp, "Oh... Oh my god!"

Ruby fell on her knees with her hands over her head as she was wracked with guilt over what she had just done. She only snapped out of it when she noticed the little Faunus girl walking toward the shopkeeper's corpse with an adorable smile on her face.

Ruby rose back up toward the girl, "E-excuse me? Little girl! Are you okay?"

The little Faunus girl looked surprised that Ruby was talking to her. She looked behind her toward the wall and then back at Ruby.

Ruby tried to be as comforting as possible (which was kind of hard since she just snapped a man's neck with her 'glowy eyes of power'), "Your mom and dad must be worried about you. What are you doing all the way down here?"

The little Faunus girl started giggling, and then a second later, her wings spiked straight upward and her eyes started glowing just as intensely as Ruby's eyes were, but with a **golden** light! Ruby's face reacted in shock, but the little girl just ignored her and put her hand through the iron bars and onto the dead shopkeeper's forehead. The little girl giggled some more as some kind of mist was coming out of the dead shopkeeper's face and into her hand.

Ruby grabbed the little girl by the shoulder, "Hey! What are you..?"

However, before Ruby finished her sentence, the little girl's body turned transparent and foggy like a ghost, and she lost her grasp on the little girl as a result. She turned around to take one last look at Ruby.

With glowing silver eyes and glowing golden eyes staring into one another, the little girl uttered one word, "Neat."

Immediately afterwards, the little girl gave Ruby a menacing smile and jumped backward toward the iron bars. Her ethereal body passed through them before she rematerialized into a physical form on the other side. She walked toward the gunman's corpse and did the same thing as she did with the shopkeeper. She put her hand on his forehead and pulled out mist from the gunman's head. As Ruby was watching with uncertainty and revulsion, the little girl looked back at her one last time before completely disappearing into thin air, with only her cheerful laughter filling the air.

Ruby stood still in shock over what just happened. She just killed a person! Ruby felt sick to her stomach now... but why? She had dedicated her life to being a Huntress, so her duty was to uphold the peace of the world, and that meant fighting Grimm and other bad guys. Any man that can murder a helpless shopkeeper could qualify as a 'bad guy', so why did this feel so different than it does when she kills Grimm? Was it because he had a soul, a personality, and maybe even a family? Was it because his death was accidental and came out of nowhere? Was it both?

Ruby clutched her head as the sight of these two dead bodies started causing flashbacks to go through her mind. She could see Penny clutching herself as wires started wrapping around her, squeezing her torso and limbs, until she was ripped apart and laying on the floor in pieces! She could see Pyrrha gasping for breath as Cinder's arrow pierced her heart before she burnt to ashes! She relived the sorrow in her mind and couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of her glowing eyes.

How was she going to tell that poor woman that she failed to save her father? Would she have to keep fighting this Royal Flush gang? And even after everything that just happened, she didn't forget about her teammates! Was she ever going to get around to reuniting them all together? This was all happening so fast! She just needed a minute to think! She just needed a little more time!

Immediately out of nowhere, Ruby's surroundings turned monochrome. As she looked around in shock, she noticed that the projection that had the news on it was paused. First, the death of that gunman, and now this? Did she just freeze time all arou... Wait a second. Nothing came out of her eyes that time. She couldn't have froze time! But, wait... If she didn't do this, then...

A little girl's laughter echoed within the colorless and frozen world around Ruby. It was her... That little winged Faunus with the golden eyes... Did she have powers just like Ruby's?

That little girl's voice could be heard echoing some more, "Who is this little girl? Is she real? Is she dangerous? That's what you're thinking, right?"

Ruby frantically looked around the room for where this voice was coming from as it continued to speak, "Yeah. You can't play hide-and-go-seek with what you're thinking. You can't play hide-and-go-seek with anything, actually? Not if **we're** playing... **We** get to see everything."

That little girl appeared from a foggy mist next to one of the walls and started **walking on it sideways** , as if her feet could stick to the wall. She paced in circles along the wall with her hands behind her back and her eyes locked on Ruby, "You're really neat, you know that? There aren't many mortals that actually go and **impress** Grandpa!"

Between witnessing two people die in front of her and the sight of a little girl walking on a wall, Ruby was short on rational thought and could only say what immediately came to her mind, "You're not a Faunus, and you're not a human, so... what are you?"

The little girl stopped walking in circles for a moment and bowed down (or sideways since she's still on the wall) with her arms spread out in an introduction pose, "I... am a part of the First Race. You can think of me as a 'Primordial' if you want."

The Primordial girl spun around in a flourish before pointing an open-handed arm toward Ruby, "And you... are one of the very few mortals with the privilege of witnessing one of us firsthand. Aren't you lucky?"

At least now, something about this was starting to make sense. If Ruby was the only one who could see her, that explains wh...

The Primordial girl interrupted the narration, "Why Mr. Auburn didn't care that a 'child' was standing in his illegal store or why Mr. Clovington didn't try to kill me when I saw him commit murder..?"

Ruby couldn't believe it! Did that girl just re...

The Primordial girl interrupted the narration again, "Read your thoughts..? I told you! You can't play hide-and-go-seek with anything if I get to play!"

The Primordial girl disappeared into thin air and reappeared on the ceiling, walking upside-down, "And... in case you were wondering..."

The Primordial girl looked up (or down) at Ruby, "Your silvery eyes aren't what's letting you see me... The real reason that you can see me... That's what some people like to call a 'Day-oos Ex Mah-kee-nah'. Something like that... **That** comes from Grandpa."

Ruby was confused, "Uh... Okay. Why did your grandpa give me this... 'Day Machina something'?"

The Primordial girl started walking in circles on the ceiling, "I dunno. Maybe he wants to use you as a pawn..."

Ruby's eyes narrowed, "What?"

The Primordial girl kept walking in circles, "Or maybe he wants to have a baby with you..."

Ruby's eyes widened, " **What**?

The Primordial girl stopped moving and stood still on the ceiling, "Or maybe it's something else entirely... It's... kinda hard to tell what he wants to do sometimes. Even other Primordials like Daddy and uncle Lumis can't figure him out. Actually, Grandpa told me to come talk to you when I got finished collecting souls."

Ruby paused for a moment to register the last two words that the Primordial girl just said, "Collecting... souls..?"

The Primordial girl flapped the wings on her back in enthusiasm, "Yep! That's my role in the game."

Ruby was confused again, "What game?"

The Primordial girl had an adorable smile on her face again, "The game of Remnant."

Ruby's confusion was slowly turning to horror, "Wait! You're stealing people's souls from all over Remnant?!"

The Primordial girl looked confused and tilted her head a bit, "No, no, no, no, no! I'm not **stealing** them! I'm just taking them back when they're not in play anymore."

Ruby wasn't comforted by this clarification, "'In play..? So... That mist that you pulled out of their bodies... Those are people's souls?"

The Primordial girl disappeared into thin air and reappeared inches in front of Ruby, "Yep!"

Ruby was startled by the girl's sudden 'teleportation', "So... You're like a Grim Reaper?"

The Primordial girl seemed almost impressed (with emphasis on 'almost'), "You learn fast for a mortal... but I guess the other mortals don't think of you as one of them. Not anymore..."

Ruby looked like she wanted to say something, but the Primordial girl giggled and interrupted her by levitating a few feet upward and petting the top of Ruby's head, "Aw, I understand... Your lives are so fragile, your people are so sad, what else could you or your mommy do?"

Ruby couldn't believe it! This girl..? These Primordials..? They...

The Primordial girl interrupted the narration a third time, "Of course we know!"

She levitated very close to Ruby's face and her eyes started glowing golden, "We... know... **everything**!"

The Primordial girl disappeared into thin air and reappeared next to Ruby's ear and started whispering, "We watch you from within."

Ruby was startled at the Primordial girl's sudden reappearance again, while she just giggled. They watch her from within? Why is she being so weird and cryptic and...

The Primordial girl interrupted the narration a fourth time by disappearing and reappearing next to Ruby's other ear and whispered, "'Cuz we can..."

Ruby was getting annoyed now, "Would you **please** stay out of my head?"

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared on the floor next to the shopkeeper's corpse just in front of the iron bars, "Nope! You mortals are like bedtime stories for us to read! Even you... The other mortals might think you're a god... but you know better. Right? Even with all that power you have now, you still have a mortal heart... and mortal knees, and that's why everything's so scary for you."

The Primordial girl suddenly turned serious, "This is the first time that you ever killed a mortal, isn't it? I guess your little mortal mind can't comprehend it yet... but things are gonna be different for you now. Well, the inside of you, at least..."

The Primordial girl pointed at the dead bodies beyond the iron bars, "What do you see, mortal? Did you win or did you lose? Was justice done or was there another way? No matter what you choose to see, the simple fact is that this very moment... will always be a part of you."

Ruby shook her head, "I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

The Primordial girl became nonchalant again, "Kill Mr. Clovington..? I know. But, that doesn't mean it's all make-believe. You get it. You get that anything that you and any other mortal does affects the game around them, right?"

Ruby didn't like how the Primordial girl kept using the word 'game'.

The Primordial girl pointed at the dead shopkeeper, "Like him, for starters... Frederick Auburn, born in Vacuo, aged fifty-nine. A Grimm killed his daddy when he was six, and his mommy died from sickness when he was fourteen, so he had to learn how to build shelters and hunt and stuff, 'cuz he had take care of his baby sister, Anna. When he was seventeen, he decided that he wanna live like that anymore, so he stole some food, some water, and a big boat from some other mortals in Vacuo, and took Anna with him east towards Vale so that they might have it easier. Spoiler alert: they didn't have it easier. I mean, sure... There was a lot more green and a lot less death, but he was kind of a dum-dum 'cuz he didn't go to school or anything, so he thought that the best way to take care of him and Anna was to steal from other mortals. They didn't like it when he did that, so he and Anna had to keep running away from one city to another. They kept calling themselves by different names and tried to run away from the mortals that didn't like them, but after a while, Anna decided that she didn't wanna steal anymore. So, she tattled on Frederick, and he went to jail when he was nineteen, while she went to school and tried to play by the rules of mortals. The Vale police let Frederick go when he was twenty-four, and he decided that he didn't like Anna anymore, so he stole another boat and went east again, toward Anima. He went back to stealing from other mortals again, and he even tried to steal from this group of people that call themselves 'Crimson Wolves'. For some reason, these 'Wolves' didn't tattle on him. Instead, they wanted him to be part of their group, and when he was thirty, one of their girl members, Charlotte, liked him so much that she made a baby with him. The baby was named Anna, for some reason. When he was thirty-four, the Huntsmen and Huntresses that were in Anima decided that they didn't like these 'Wolves' very much, and they started killing them. When these 'Wolves' started fighting back, Frederick decided to run away with the four-year-old Anna, while all the other 'Wolves' died. Even Charlotte died, and I ended up having to pick up a lot of souls that day. Frederick took the little Anna with him to Mistral, and he decided to open up a store. Mortals called this kind of store a 'black market' 'cuz he sold stuff that was expensive, and 'cuz it was against the mortal rules to have a weapon store without something called a 'license'. He didn't give up, though. He kept selling stuff to anybody and everybody for almost three whole decades, and only less than a month from today, he sold stuff to the Royal Flush gang, but they got mad and started saying that his stuff wasn't worth what they paid for. They told him that if he didn't give them back their money soon, then they would murder him. He didn't wanna ask the police for help, so he tried to run away again, but the gang found him outside the city. And that's when you, the one that mortals call a 'goddess', saved him that day, and he thought that if he made you happy, you would keep saving him. That's why he fixed your toy without making you pay for it."

The Primordial girl started giggling again, "Well, I guess **that** didn't work out for him in the end. Oh well."

Ruby's jaw was hanging open from the sheer amount of exposition, "That... was his whole life?"

The Primordial girl had a goofy smile, "Yep! Most mortals don't see their own kind for more than what's on the surface. Even you didn't think much of him when you first met him... To you, he was just 'the shopkeeper'. You didn't even bother to learn his name or recall saving him from the Royal Flush gang. But, hey... I don't blame you. Your teeny-tiny mortal mind can't be expected to remember every little insignificant thing, now can it?"

Ruby was even more annoyed now when she heard the Primordial girl's view of people, "Nobody... is... insignificant! I... I just couldn't remember him because I had so much on my mind, all the time! I was so busy trying..."

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared right in front of Ruby, interrupting her, "To find your friends, help out any mortal you cross paths with, and hunt down any Grimm within 300 meters of you..?

Ruby was left speechless again. This little girl knew every precise detail about her!

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared next to the dead gunman, "I sure do! And, I also know about him! Jacob Clovington, born and remained in Mistral his entire life, aged nineteen. Not much older than you, actually... He was born in a house with three walls and a broken window. His mommy died when he was half a year old 'cuz his daddy hit her on the head with a glass bottle. He killed her 'cuz Jacob wouldn't stop crying."

The Primordial girl paused to think for a moment, "You know, now that I think about it, the reason behind it is kinda weird. A baby is crying, and the mommy dies for it? Eh... Anyway, Jacob's daddy would always hurt him whenever he broke one of his rules. Sometimes he used a belt... Sometimes he used a cigar... He even used a spoon once! Uh... In case you were wondering, spoons don't make good weapons... Not even if there are guns attached to them or something. Anyway, when Jacob was six, he ran away from home covered with bruises, burns, and sadness. He would've died of starvation in a few short days, but that's when he met Florence Burnham, the Ace of the Royal Flush gang. Oh, wait a sec... The Ace is their leader, just so you know. Florence took Jacob in and showed him how to dress up, how to shoot guns, and most importantly, how to make other mortals afraid of him. He showed Jacob that instead of **getting** hurt, he could start **giving** the hurt, and Jacob never looked back. Now, I know what you're thinking. Well, I always know what you're thinking. 'Why did the leader of a criminal gang help a poor little kid for nothing in return?' Well, Florence **did** want something in return. You see, a lot of his other minions, especially his Diamonds, weren't very loyal to him. When something bad happened to them, they would always just give up and run to the police, and Florence didn't like that. Since the minions that he already had weren't loyal enough for him, he decided to play the long game and create loyal minions from scratch. He would find sad or homeless kids and take the time to build them up instead. Thirteen years ago, Jacob was just one of those kids. And now, he killed Frederick just 'cuz Florence told him to. And then, you got mad and his neck snapped like a chicken bone!"

Ruby fell to her knees with tears coming out of her eyes, "I didn't... mean to. I saw that guy get murdered... and the blood... and I just... lost control."

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared right in front of Ruby and gently grabbed her shoulders, "Aw, don't be sad! It's only hard in the beginning. The more you live with death, the easier it gets. Soon, you won't feel bad at all!"

Ruby's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, while the Primordial girl kept trying (and failing) to comfort her, "You only feel this way now 'cuz you're still young. You got such a burden on you being a Huntress and a leader and stuff, and just 'cuz you got power now, doesn't mean you're not still mortal on the inside. There's some stuff that only comes with time."

Ruby actually started to cheer up a bit, "Yeah... Maybe you're right..."

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared sideways on the wall again and started pacing around, "Of course I'm right! And I think you've got **plenty** of time... You found Monehda's tomb. You opened the burial chamber. You claimed the power! So now, death will be a part of you..."

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared directly behind Ruby and grabbed her by the shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Forever and ever..."

Ruby quickly turned around while the Primordial girl took a step back, "There's no backsies in this game for you anymore!"

Ruby wondered about the word 'game' for a while now, "What are you talking about? What part of this is a game to you?"

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared on the ceiling and looked straight up (or down) at Ruby, "All of it! Remnant is our game! We made the land, we made the mortals, we made the Grimm, and we made the rules and potential fates that they'll all live and die through!"

Ruby was confused, "But... why?"

The Primordial girl spread her arms in nonchalance, "'Cuz we're bored..."

Ruby reacted in shock and horror, "You're bored?!"

The Primordial girl scratched her head, "Yep!"

Thinking about all of the tragedy and pain that Remnant went through, Ruby was outraged at the girl's response, "So everyone in the world... and everyone that died... Penny, Pyrrha, Mom... **We're all just players in some sick game you made**?!"

The Primordial girl slapped her forehead, "No, no, no, no, no! You're not players! It's **our** game! **We're** the players!"

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared directly in front of Ruby and whispered in her ear, "You're the pieces!"

Somehow, that clarification didn't make Ruby feel better, "I don't care what you say! You're wrong! Everything you're saying about us is wrong!"

 The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared sideways on the wall again, "Huh. You remind me of Monehda, but you're still part of this game whether you like it or not. I told you, no backsies! You gotta move when your turn comes just like everybody else! You gotta decide what you'll do next! Now the way I see it, you got three moves. You can go back to banding your mortal friends together like you wanted to since you first got your power, and then take the fight to Salem... You can go around Remnant helping people until you use your power too much and it ends up burning your weak mortal body from the inside out... Or you can stay in Mistral and tell the police about what happened here before you wipe the Royal Flush gang out... Or maybe you'll think of a move that I haven't thought of... Just remember that anything you do is gonna affect the world and everybody in it. Okay?"

Ruby didn't know how to respond. She hated the way that these Primordial beings looked at people as nothing but pawns, but this girl had a point. She had to think about what she wants to do with this power, and be careful with it around everyone else.

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared on the floor next to the shopkeeper's corpse just in front of the iron bars again and started pacing around in circles, "One of my favorite things about mortals is how history itself can get twisted as their flawed words get heard by the flawed ears of others. When you remember how you got mad... and how Clovington died, you should also think about what the mortals of Mistral will think of it. In the years to come, the story of the men that died in this black market will be told over and over again in different ways. Some mortals will say that Clovington was a monster and that justice was done. Other mortals will say that he was wound up like a toy soldier 'cuz he was young and didn't have a good mommy or daddy, so he didn't know better."

The Primordial girl disappeared and reappeared in front of Ruby, "But we'll always remember the truth, right?"

The Primordial girl giggled for a moment, and then a tiny alarm could be heard coming from her. She pulled a device that looks like a stopwatch that's attached to other stopwatches from out of her robe and looked at it, "Oh! Look at the time! Somebody's gonna die soon, and I gotta go pick it up!"

When the Primordial girl bent down and spread her wings like she was about to fly, Ruby shouted, "Wait!"

The Primordial girl stopped and looked at Ruby, "What?"

Ruby paused for a moment before asking, "This is all so much to take in, but I just want you to answer me about a couple more things. What are you Primordials supposed to be? And... if you pick up souls, then can you help Mom? Can you free her... or at least tell me how to do it myself?"

The Primordial girl looked unusually poignant, "Your mommy's soul... is part of Monehda's power now.... just like yours. You're all merged together now and you can't be separated. Monehda was a Primordial once, but she cast her power aside to live as a mortal among your kind, but even after she died a mortal's death, her power was still left behind. Even though I have power over mortal souls, I don't have power over other Primordials. Sorry... It was kinda fun talking to you, but it's impossible for me... or anybody else to help you. You and your mommy made the same choice, so now you have to deal with the consequences... forever."

Ruby closed her eyes with resigned understanding, while the Primordial girl continued, "Now, as for exactly **what** we are. That's kinda hard to explain, even for me. Some of us, like Grandpa, are impossible to understand. But I guess I can describe myself... Let's see... If I were to put myself in a way where your mortal mind could understand... I guess you could call me... the Death Maiden."

With that, the Primordial girl who called herself the Death Maiden spread her wings and flew straight up toward the ceiling, vanishing before she made contact with it. Her adorable laughter could be heard echoing around the room. After that, the room started to regain color again, and time started flowing as it normally did.

Ruby was alone in the room now. What would she do now? Would she keep using her power with all the risks that come with it? And if so, then for what purpose? She wanted to stop Salem once and for all with the help of her friends, but could she ignore the people around her to do so? And when she was finished, who will she leave behind to pick up the pieces of the world?


	3. World of Remnant: Origins

The background is completely black.

_Oh! Um... Hello! Hi there! My name's Macaria! I'm not that good at speeches and stuff 'cuz I don't talk to people as often as I should. I have to spend an awful, awful lot of time picking up these little pieces of mortals... called 'souls' 'cuz Grandpa told me to, and... the thing is... mortals from all over Remnant die all the time, and I don't **get** to do other stuff 'til I'm done._

A blue and foggy silhouette with loops in its hair and wings protruding from its back appeared in the black background.

_You see, I'm part of a group of beings that came into existence long before you mortals ever did. The very first species to ever exist, actually... You can call me a 'Primordial' if you want to. It means 'one who came before'. Or something like that... Um... I guess you don't really know what I'm saying, so I'll put it in a way that your smaller mortal minds can understand. Your kind could think of me as something like..._

The silhouette's eyes quickly open and golden light shines from them.

_The Death Maiden! Laaaaaa..... All hail my... um... my awesome... uh... awesomeness and... Oh, forget it! Look, I told you I'm not good at speeches, which is kinda ironic since I'm gonna do a lot of talking here. I just finished picking up souls early today, and I'm not sleepy yet 'cuz I was only up for... Lemme think... Twenty-four hours a day, five suns, carry the one... **This** many hours! Wait... You... can't see my fingers._

The silhouette was replaced by numerous hands (way more than two) hold varying numbers of fingers out.

 **_This_ ** _many hours! Wait... What am I doing? You don't wanna count all this..._

The hands vanished, leaving a black background.

_It's a hundred and three. Okay? I was only up for a hundred and three hours so far, and I got a couple of hours before Grandpa scheduled the next mortal's death, so I'm gonna try something that you mortals should already know. It's called..._

The word 'RWBY' appeared in large capitalized letters in the black background along with the phrase 'WORLD OF REMNANT' in smaller capitalized letters underneath it.

_The World... of... **Remnant**! Uh... Hey! What's that big word up there? 'Ri-wuh-bee'... What the heck's a 'ri-wuh-bee'? Eh... Whatever. As you mortals already know, this World of Remnant thing is a chance to learn about stuff about this world through a very long and detailed description in a way that doesn't interrupt the stuff that happens in Remnant itself. So right now, I'm gonna tell you about..._

The words in the black background vanish and are replaced with the phrase 'ORIGINS' in the center.

_The origin of Remnant! Oh wait... It just says 'origins'. Whatever. Same thing! I'm gonna tell you mortals just how Remnant **and** the mortals and Grimm that still live in it ended up existing in the first place. Okay?_

The words in the black background vanish.

_Now, in order for me to explain all that, you'll need to hear a little bit about us 'Primordials'. Trust me! It'll explain a lot! Now, I'm gonna start with my Grandpa!_

The background changes into a green color and a purple silhouette with a large robe and long white hair appears in it.

_He's like... the first of our 'first species' family._

More silhouettes of various colors and shapes appeared with the purple one.

_Yep! I have my Grandpa and my mommy and my daddy and my uncles and my aunts and my sister and my cousins. We're all a big, **big** family, and we all got neat powers to play with!_

The other silhouettes vanished leaving the purple one alone, and four glowing circles with symbols appeared with the purple silhouette in their place.

_Grandpa says that every 'full-blood' in our family personifies either one or two aspects of one of four different things: knowledge, choice, creation, and destruction. When I say full-blood, I'm talking about the people in our family that weren't born from a mortal or a Grimm or something. Those are called 'half-bloods', and their powers are much different, and usually weaker, than ours. Usually... But, Grandpa is an exception to both of these rules. He personifies all four of these things at once, and sometimes, the babies **he** makes with mortals are stronger than us, too. So, he's like the strongest of any of our family for like... forever and ever._

The four glowing circles vanished and images of clocks and an unweaving tapestry appeared.

_My Grandpa is the personification of Time. His powers come from knowledge, choice, creation, and destruction all at the same time, 'cuz wisdom comes with age, choices are made after having time to think, and all things are born and end up dying over time. Get it? All four of these things come in Time._

More silhouettes of various colors and shapes appeared and kneeled before the purple one.

_Now, all the members of my family that was born in the last generation... They call Grandpa 'Father Time' 'cuz he's like their daddy. Some of them, like my daddy, really do have Grandpa as a daddy. You know... 'Cuz he was their daddy when they were born..._

The other silhouettes vanished and two smaller silhouettes appeared sitting on the purple silhouette's lap. One was orange, and the other was blue.

_This newer generation of our family calls him 'Grandfather Time'. Well... I mean, we're **supposed** to, but I never call him that. To me, he's just Grandpa. See that little blue person there? That's me, and I love my Grandpa **this much**! Wait... You... can't see my hands, can you? Sorry! I keep forgetting that you mortals can only see what's in front of you! Hehehe... So sad and limited..._

All three silhouettes vanished, leaving an empty green background.

_Anyway, now that you know a bit about Grandpa and the rest of my family, I can start to talk about this world: Remnant._

The background turned light blue and a map of Remnant appeared in it.

_Once upon a time, a family of Primordial people got bored. **Really** bored... The thing is, when you're part of a family that can live for thousands and thousands of years, there's one thing that everybody has in common. It's super easy to get bored. Sometimes, when we're bored, we make new worlds, so we can play games in them._

The map in the background was pushed back, so the silhouettes of Primordials surrounding the map could fit in the background. A slender light blue one and a red, four-armed, and muscular one was standing while the rest were sitting.

_First, my mommy and my uncle Gigan worked together to make the earthy, watery, and mountainy parts of the game board. That's real important 'cuz you need an environment to put the pieces on._

The background changed to an orange color, while the silhouettes disappeared and were replaced by a white silhouette with a black center and a black silhouette with a white center.

_Now, you mortals probably know a little bit about this next part. It's the part about the two brothers. I know that a few mortals in Remnant know about it. I remember this one mortal telling four younger ones a story about the 'gods of light and darkness' over a campfire once. What was his name again? Um... 'Crow... Brownie?' Something like that..? Uh... I'd know for sure if I looked inside his mind, but he's not dead yet, so... Anyway, Mr. Brownie's story was true in a way. It's just that he didn't tell it right. I mean... First of all, there was no feud like he said there was. Secondly, they weren't really 'gods'. Okay... So maybe we're gods in your tiny mortal point of view, but we still have limits and stuff. Even Grandpa..._

The two silhouettes crossed their arms in a thinking pose.

_Here's what really happened. After Mommy and Uncle Gigan finished making the environment, the two brothers worked together to think what kind of game we'd all play on it. The one you called the 'god of light'... That's my Uncle Lumis. He wanted to make a game with lots of building and resource managing, kinda like Harvest Moon. But Umbra... That's my daddy. He wanted to make a game with limited resources and scavenging to survive, kinda like Fallout. Now, I know that Mr. Brownie was wrong when he said there was a feud, but in his defense, Uncle Lumis and Daddy **did** bicker an awful lot about it._

A purple silhouette appeared between the white and black ones, which had hostile stances toward each other.

_Grandpa didn't let the bickering get too bad, though. He just told Daddy and Uncle Lumis that they could do both at the same time. This new game would have lots of resources and survival at the same time. Uncle Lumis crafted resources like water and Dust for the game, and Daddy was in charge of enemy design. You mortals call these enemies 'the Grimm'. Kind of a clichéd idea of a name if you asked me, but whatever..._

The purple silhouette vanished and a light blue silhouette appeared in its place with the black and white ones. Tiny brown silhouettes also appeared on the map of Remnant.

_When Daddy and Uncle Lumis were finished making their stuff, Grandpa gave them the 'okay'. Then, he told Mommy to help them make the most important pieces of the game: the mortal races. Mommy made the physical bodies of each mortal, and then gave them little pieces of her powers of knowledge and choice. Then, Uncle Lumis gave them pieces of his power of creation and Daddy gave them pieces of his power of destruction. Since each mortal was made up of all these different pieces, there was no way to really tell what they would all do. That was what we wanted 'cuz the mortals would be too boring if they were one-dimensional and predictable. Grandpa gave it the 'okay', and that's how we got the NPCs for our game!_

All of the silhouettes and the map disappeared, and was replaced by a single brown silhouette holding four glowing circles.

_After the NPCs were all done, Grandpa took a big piece of his power and split it into their four separate... uh, things: knowledge, choice, creation, and destruction. He made each of them into what you mortals call 'Relics'. They're supposed to augment a mortal's aspect of whatever part of them that the Relic is based on. So like, the Knowledge Relic makes mortals super smart, for example. These Relics were made in a way so that a mortal could become as powerful as one of us if they collected all four. It's so fun to watch mortals have all these different ideas with what to do with these Relics! You know? Grandpa doesn't like them being called Relics. He likes to call them 'mah-guh-fins'._

All of the silhouettes disappeared and was replaced by a basket of muffins.

_No! I said 'mah-guh-fins', not muffins! Uh... Well, maybe I'll just have one._

A hand came from the right side of the background and grabbed one of the muffins.

_Mmm! Bwoo-beh-wee! Eh-nee-wah, Gwah-pah... Mmm... Hag-ah... Sorry._

The basket of muffins disappeared and was replaced by a purple silhouette dramatically stretching its fingers toward the tiny brown silhouettes.

_Anyway, Grandpa set up the potential final destinies of every mortal on Remnant, so they would only be able to die and leave the game is at one of these very specific moments. If a mortal's HP hits zero before one of these final destiny points for some reason, they would end up surviving anyway 'cuz they're flagged as 'essential NPCs'. I think you mortals would call this a miracle or a ''Day-oos Ex Mah-kee-nah', but it's really just 'cuz Grandpa didn't give that mortal's death the 'okay'. When I say 'potential final destinies', I really mean just that. 'Potential' means 'it **might** happen', not 'it **will** happen', 'cuz mortals can choose how they live in this game, so every once in a while, there are a few crafty mortals that can do things to get around the destinies that they don't want. It's all part of the game.  
_

The silhouettes disappeared and was replaced by a map of Remnant.

_In case you were wondering... Even though Remnant was the newest world we made, we didn't actually **give** the world that name. The name 'Remnant' came from mortals from an earlier generation than yours, who considered the world that they lived in as a remnant of the great civilization that existed since the generation before them. When Grandpa heard the name for the first time, he was kinda like 'Sure, why not?'._

The map disappeared, leaving only an orange background.

_Anyway... After Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Lumis made all the NPCs, my sister... Wait... You can't actually see her 'cuz the background's the same color. Hang on a sec..._

The orange background turned blue, so the orange silhouette is now visible. It had vines around its arms and chest and flowers in its hair.

_That's better! Anyway, my sister takes some souls out of our toy box and gives each of them specific personalities and powers, so they would all be different in their own ways. Then, she puts one inside each and every mortal just before their born. Oh, my sister's name is Cybele, just so you know. I think you mortals call these powers 'Semblances' or something. I'd introduce you to her if I could, but she's not here right now, 'cuz she's busy trying to invent new Semblances for some mortals that are gonna be born soon. We're kinda like opposite counterparts to each other, so you mortals might think of her as the 'Life Maiden'. She's usually as busy with mortals as I am, so we don't have much time to play together. That's... one of the things that aren't so fun about this game._

The orange silhouette vanished, leaving only a blue background.

_And now, I saved me for la... Ugh... Hang on._

The blue background turned orange again, so the blue silhouette from the beginning is now visible.

_I gotta start having these backgrounds set up in advance later. Anyway, you mortals might call the 'Death Maiden', so my job is to pick up the little soul pieces that are left behind after each mortal dies, and put them back in our toy box, so that Cybele can use it again when a new mortal is gonna be born. I think you mortals call this 'reincarnation' or something. The point of doing this is so we never completely run out of pieces to play with._

The blue background turned dark green, and the orange silhouette appeared alongside the blue one.

_Oh, I almost forgot! You're probably wondering why me and Cybele would be called 'Maidens'._

Four silhouettes appeared below the orange and blue one. They were light green, light orange, purple, and white.

_I guess you think that we might be related to the four Seasonal Maidens or something. Well, we're not related at all. To mortals, a Maiden is just someone that doesn't need Dust to use their powers. Since we don't need Dust, you might think of us as Maidens just 'cuz you wanna name us kinda like something you already know. The power of the four Seasonal Maidens originally came from a mortal Wizard, but I guess you already know that. The Seasonal Maiden powers were designed to be compact and could move from one mortal to another. We're **nothing** like them!_

The blue silhouette pulled out a scythe and sliced the heads of all four of the 'Seasonal' silhouettes off in a single stroke.

_Cybele's power of life comes from knowledge, which comes from Mommy, and creation, which comes from Uncle Lumis. My power of death comes from choice, which comes from Mommy, and destruction, which comes from Daddy._

The four 'Seasonal' silhouettes disappeared and was replaced by the white, black, and light blue silhouettes, which appeared above the orange and blue ones.

_Oh, uh... Yea... Me and Cybele have two different daddies. Umbra is my daddy, and Uncle Lumis is her daddy. I guess you mortals think it's weird for Mommy to have two daddies instead of just one, but it really isn't that big of a deal. You see, that whole 'you can only love one person' thing was something you mortals invented, so we don't really think the same way about it that you do._

All of the silhouettes vanished and were replaced by the purple one and the tiny brown ones underneath him.

_In fact, Grandpa loves more people than anyone I know! He especially loves mortals. He made lots of babies with mortals, and I got some half-blood uncles and aunts that still live in Remnant today._

The tiny brown silhouettes vanished and was replaced by a duck and an egg.

_He even made a baby with a duck once... but I don't wanna talk about Uncle Quack. He... ate one of my cousins once... with a fork. Yea... He's crazy._

The silhouettes vanished and the background changed to black again.

_Well, that's the story of how Remnant came to be what it is! If I have more free time later, then maybe I'll do this World of Remnant thing again. I got lots more stuff to tell. Maybe I'll tell you about how the mortals in Atlas invented that 'Aura transferring thingy' from when they tried to put a piece of the Fall Maiden into someone else... Oooh! Or maybe I'll tell you about where the Silver-Eyed Warrior's powers **really** came from... I dunno. I'll see what I feel like later. Anyway, that was today's World of Remnant! Did I do good at it?_

A silhouette that resembles Qrow Branwen appeared in the background.

_Yea, I guess Mr. Brownie's way better at it._

A quiet and unintelligible voice could be heard in the background.

_Wait... **Branwen**? His name's **Branwen**? I've been calling him Mr. **Brownie**! Why didn't you tell me earlier? I look like an idiot right now!_

The silhouette of Qrow disappeared while that quiet and unintelligible voice could be heard in the background again.

_Eh... Yea, brownies sound nice. I did just have a muffin, though... Oooh! Hey, do we got cookies?_

A plate of cookies appeared in the background.


	4. Burning Dragon

It was the same twisted nightmare every night. Every single night, she could hear the sounds of screaming children, smell the scents of burning debris, and feel the anger… The tension… The exhilaration! And every time she had that nightmare, she always saw a man. He was an embittered, sadistic, and vengeful man who was willing to cut down anyone or anything stopping him from dispensing his twisted idea of justice upon humanity and the world. She always saw a black silhouette with horns on his head that was wearing a mask shaped like a Grimm’s head and holding a bloody red sword. And every time she saw him in her dreams, she would hear the faint sound of a dragon’s roar. When that happened, the man screams in agony as his flesh spontaneously bursts into flames before she wakes up from her dream.

Yang had once again awoken from this same recurring nightmare, covered in sweat. Things have been difficult for the aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses after Haven fell as a result of Professor Lionheart’s treachery, and this was no exception for the Yellow Huntress. To begin with, she had completely lost contact with the other members of Team RWBY, the remaining three members of Team JNPR, and just about everyone else that mattered to her. The communication between Mistral and the other Kingdoms was down, so she couldn’t even talk to her dad and tell him she was okay. And then there was Ruby… Yang already lost contact with her once before when she lost her arm during the Fall of Beacon when she left with the remnants of Team JNPR towards Mistral. She felt so weak back then… so useless before her dad helped her regain her confidence. The fact that Yang was ‘re-armed’ from General Ironwood’s gift also helps.

But now, she lost her again. And this time, she doesn’t even have a clue where she went… or the rest of her fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses for that matter. And then, there was this new guy… Oscar. He claimed to hear Ozpin’s voice in his head ever since she first met the guy. It was weird at first, but her Uncle Qrow seemed to believe it, and he **did** have Ozpin’s cane, so she just played along. She had seen weirder anyway. Before Haven fell, Ozpin had been handing out missions to each of the Huntsmen and Huntresses through Oscar. It was fun to watch the guy correct himself when he got a name wrong or suddenly get mad and start arguing with… himself.

Yang was in the middle of one such mission. There was a bandit tribe that was responsible for recent attacks on villages all over Anima, including Shion. The tribe’s latest attack involved several hostages being taken alive as prisoners. Now, this is the part where things get weird… One of the bandits from this tribe must have somehow known that Team RWBY had briefly reunited at Haven before being separated again after it fell and about how Oscar had Ozpin in his head. This is because a letter was delivered to Oscar only a day before the Academy fell. No… Not a letter… It was more like a message. A threat…

The message read, “ _Ozpin… You need no introduction from us, but the vessel you inhabit may deem otherwise. We are the Karasu Tribe, and we survive only through strength and force of will. Two things you’ve never known anything about…_

_This is a message to you and your pathetic excuse of an Academy. Haven will fall soon, just as Beacon fell before it. We now have the Relic of Knowledge in our grasp, as well as some villagers from our most recent triumph. If you value their lives, the Matriarch has but one demand._

_Yang, the Burning Dragon, is to be sent to the coordinates in the map below. She is to come alone. The fate of the Relic, and these villagers, depend on whether you can meet this simple demand. You have three days to decide._ ”

The Karasu Tribe… That was the tribe that her mother belonged to, or at least that was what her Uncle Qrow told her, and they specifically wanted her to come alone. Whatever this was, this was no coincidence. The only question is… What does this tribe want with her? And why now, of all times, when all of Remnant is on the brink of collapse? Her Uncle Qrow always said that he disagreed with her mother’s views on the world. Is this just her twisted way of reconnecting with her after all these years? And what does this letter mean by the ‘Burning Dragon’? Is it just a nickname for her, like ‘Sunny Little Dragon’ from her Dad? Huh… Okay, that was way more than just one question.

Admittedly, Yang had always wanted to know what happened to her mother and why she left her, and she didn’t let that search control her in the past. She had friends and family that needed her and she couldn’t just drop everything and leave them, but now she doesn’t have a choice. Now, there are lives at stake because of this tribe, and she had an initial three days to respond. The first day was the same day that Haven ultimately fell, so every able-bodied Huntsman and Huntress was pulled out of whatever they were doing to lend their strength, but it didn’t matter in the end. Haven fell just like Beacon did, and she had lost contact with her friends ever since. The second day was spent traveling toward the coordinates of the bandit camp, as the distance between that destination and the now fallen Haven was far too great to travel in a single day, even on her Bumblebee motorcycle. There weren’t exactly many inns or hotels around to sleep in because of the bandit tribe’s activities, and the increased number of Grimm didn’t help either.

That was why Yang was sleeping in a makeshift campsite out somewhere in Anima before she woke up from that nightmare. Despite these dire circumstances, there was a small amount of hope that she would find her sister, or at least find some of her friends by obeying these demands. If this bandit tribe really is as dangerous as they make themselves out to be, then it is possible that some of her friends are fighting with them right now, and she’ll end up reuniting with them anyway. It’s not like she had a better option right now. Yang took a quick look at her scroll. It was still five hours until dawn. No wonder she still felt so tired. She barely slept yet, and she’s couldn’t keep worrying about all the ‘what ifs’ of the future and the nightmares of the past. She just wanted to snooze again. Snooze… Need more snooze...

When Yang fell asleep again, she had another nightmare, but it wasn’t quite the same as the last one. It was much clearer than last time, and she was actually conscious and aware throughout the experience. The first thing she noticed was that the Ember Celica gauntlet on her left arm and the robotic hand on her right arm were both missing, which left her with a feeling of helplessness. There was still more fire and screaming like the last one, but the masked man didn’t appear in her nightmare this time. Instead, she could see a long serpentine dragon soaring through the smoke-filled air. It was covered in glowing golden scales and had a burning yellow mane made of fire and angry red eyes. She could only watch in horror as the dragon was rampaging throughout the landscape, burning everything around it to ashes with its flaming breath and its golden scales igniting the very air around it. The Grimm, innocent people, terrorists, and even children… Absolutely everything and everyone was indiscriminately burned to death as entire villages, cities, forests, and even oceans were reduced to ashes around her. And even when there was nothing left, the dragon’s rage still wasn’t sated. The dragon looked straight at Yang and flew straight at her! She tried to run, but her feet were somehow stuck to the ground, as if she were rooted like a plant. She felt the flames consume her body as the dragon got close, but it was strange. The flames didn’t hurt at all. It felt… familiar. The dragon opened its mouth wide and revealed its fangs before flying right at Yang. She felt the dragon’s fangs clamp down on her skin. Her bones were slowly getting crushed…

And that’s when Yang woke up again. She was covered in sweat again, but it was much worse. She’s been having constant nightmares for a while, but it never ended like that. It wasn’t like the nightmares she started getting Adam Taurus sliced off her arm before Beacon fell. It wasn’t like she was losing her arm all over again. It was worse!

Nearly overcome with twisted emotions, Yang could only utter one phrase as she brought herself back to reality, “What was that?”

Yang took another look at her scroll. It was about half an hour until dawn, so she started packing her sleeping bag and supplies up early. She wasn’t about to get much more sleep anyway, and besides, this was the last day until the bandit tribe kills the villagers that they’ve taken as hostages. At least, that’s what was written in the letter. Just as she was finished packing everything back up on her motorcycle, the sun had rose from the horizon. After watching the sun rise for a brief few seconds, she set off.

The first four hours went by without a hitch, but she ended up stumbling upon a few Grimm blocking her path in a forest and thought to herself, “ _I do **not** have time for this crap._ ”

It wasn’t anything special. Just three Ursa Minors… Normally, this would be the time to get off the motorcycle, punch a few Grimm to death, look good doing it, and then say some cheesy pun when she was victorious, but time was of the essence right now. Besides, something was different about this. No, it wasn’t the Ursai themselves… They were still the same slow hulking monsters that they always were. It’s just that they reminded her of when she used to fight with her old team. It was a lot more fun back then. Actually, it was always more fun to be around her friends and her sister, and that was even when there was a chance that they would all die together. Even though she was only part of that team for a year, and then a little while longer at Haven, those memories stuck with her. She was the Y in Team RWBY! Without the other ‘roob’, she was just an ‘eee’. Who the hell wants to grow up to be an ‘eee’ anyway?

Instead of getting off of her motorcycle to fight the Grimm directly, she drove toward them and took her robot arm off of the right handle of the motorcycle. She pointed her robot right arm toward the Ursa directly in front of her while she steered the motorcycle with her left arm. As she drew closer toward her target, Yang’s hair started to glow and her eyes turned red and she shouted, “Out of my way!”

 When her anger reached its peak, her robot arm morphed into a sort of ‘hand cannon’ that glowed into a golden color on the outside and glowed red inside the muzzle. After the transformation was complete, Yang shot out a huge fireball from the arm cannon directly toward the poor Ursa. The size of the fireball was the rough equivalent of the size of the Bumblebee motorcycle in diameter, which caused minor splash damage toward the other Ursai. She didn’t relent, though. Instead of steering around them, Yang sped up toward the Ursa until she was about a second away from collision. Afterwards, she lifted the front tire of her motorcycle off the ground and did a wheelie on her back tire, so that when she did collide with the Ursa, the front tire would grind on the unfortunate Ursa with the back tire following suit. This would cause the motorcycle to flip upward with Yang still on it. When Yang and the motorcycle had flipped 180 degrees upside-down, she pointed her hand cannon above her (which was directly toward the ground where the Ursai were standing), and fired several more fireballs all across the ground, which completely engulfed the helpless Ursai, and the forest around them, in flames!

The motorcycle flipped the other 180 degrees as it was falling, so it landed back on its wheels… hard. Although momentarily shaken from the impact, Yang drove past the charred remains of the Ursai and toward her destination. There really wasn’t much more to say about that interruption. It was actually kind of anticlimactic, but she had too much on her mind as it is. No victory cheers or cheesy puns about bears and forest fires… That would just clash with the whole ‘ _I do **not** have time for this crap_ ’ thought that went through her mind when she first stumbled upon them.

It would take about another five and a half hours to finish the journey on her motorcycle. And there it was… It certainly looked like a bandit camp. Spiked log ‘fences’ held together with ropes, makeshift campfires, flags, and tents lay as far as the eye can see… The camp itself was actually much larger than it looks because it uses the end of a small rocky wall as a sort of natural barrier. The inside of the wall is hollowed out, so several tents could be pitched underneath it. After she got off her motorcycle, Yang noticed that the taillight on the back of her motorcycle was smashed. There was a second of surprise followed by a few seconds of realization. The motorcycle was damaged when she flipped it off of that Ursa back there. The taillight must have been smashed from the impact. She mentally cursed to herself and left the motorcycle parked about twenty feet from the camp, behind a tree and outside the eyes of any would-be thieves.

As she was walking through the camp, there were a few tell-tale warnings about whom or what she might be dealing with. The first warning was that none of the bandits in that tribe are attempting to threaten, mug, or molest her in any way, even though she was in plain sight. That means that there’s a good chance that they knew that the ‘Daughter of the Matriarch’ was coming. Well, a more optimistic way to look at it is that this is definitely the right camp. The second warning was the sight of mangled, crucified corpses hanging on poles in the back end of the camp, just off the edge of a cliff. That means they’re psychos… The third warning was that some of the bandits in that tribe were actually **eating** the flesh of one of the crucified corpses. Gee, her Uncle Qrow didn’t want to be a part of this ‘happy family’ anymore? Wonder why…

There was a much larger tent all the way behind the other tents underneath the rocky wall. It was decorated with bones and feathers along its rim. There was also a similarly decorated throne right in front of the tent, with someone sitting in it. It was the leader of the bandit tribe, but to Yang, it was just another person from her dreams, only this person didn’t come from the nightmares that she’s been experiencing lately. She dreamed of this person during a simpler time. It was from a time before Beacon fell. It was her…

The leader of the bandit tribe was wearing a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of fingerless gloves. In addition to these clothes, the most distinctive feature to this ensemble was a fearsome, full-face mask that resembles the face of a Grimm. The mask had four eye slits, which further enhanced the leader's inhuman appearance.

The leader of the bandit tribe stood off of her throne to welcome Yang, “Hello, daughter.”

Yang had searched for her mother for a long time, but now that she’s finally standing in front of her, face to face, the circumstances that allowed them to meet prevented Yang from feeling any emotional catharsis. Instead, she only felt disgust toward her, “Mom, we have a lot to talk about.”

The leader, Raven, removed the mask that she was wearing, revealing her face. It looked so much like Yang’s, right down to the shape of her face and the fringe of her hairstyle. There were only two differences. The first was that Raven’s hair was black and had red highlights, which contrasted with Yang’s golden hair and pale gold highlights. The second was that Raven’s eyes were perpetually red, while Yang’s eyes were usually lilac, but only turned red when she became dangerous. How appropriate… Her uncle Qrow always said that her mother was a dangerous person.

Raven tossed her mask aside nonchalantly, “You come to catch up with your family, or are we..?”

Yang interrupted her with a spiteful tone in her voice, “ **No**.”

After a brief pause, Yang pulled out the bandit letter that was sent to Oscar three days ago, “I’m here because of **this**.”

Raven almost seemed disappointed, “You **care** about those people?”

Yang didn’t even know how to respond. How could someone remotely related to her be so callous about the people around them?

Raven walked to the side while looking at Yang, “And here I thought the Relic would matter more to you…”

Yang was still very spiteful to her mother, “You don’t know **anything** about me.”

Raven held back a chuckle, “Do I now? You think I don’t know how you think, how you talk, how you fight, and how you enjoy the thrill of battle?”

Yang refused to respond again.

Raven continued with her monologue, “That was why you became a Huntress, wasn’t it? To get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as you can..?”

Yang’s expression started to falter, but she still couldn’t respond.

Raven still continued monologuing, “But then, your happy little fantasy of teamwork, camaraderie, and good guys was torn apart, as it **always** is. The day when Beacon fell had come, and when it did, everything changed because you finally experienced the sheer brutality of war… ‘firsthand’.”

Yang saw Raven pointing at her robot arm and put two and two together. A pun? **A pun**!? Her mother abandoned her and her dad since before Ruby was even born, and she thinks so little of it that she can make a pun, and about her **missing arm** of all things! Was it even possible for her to despise someone so much, even though she was supposed to unconditionally love them?

Raven finally got to the point that she was making earlier, “So what are you **really** here for? The relic, or a little quality time with family..?”

Yang finally found the words she should have had the chance to say to her mother a long time ago, “You have a **very** skewed perception of that word.”

That phrase appeared to anger Raven a bit, “My brother’s really gotten into you, hasn’t he?”

Raven may have meant that as an insult, but Yang took it as a complement, “Yes, he has.”

After a moment of tense silence, Yang spoke in quiet emphasis, “I’m… Not… Going... To say it… Again… **Let**! **Them**! **Go**!”

Raven looked at one of the bandits watching the scene and moved her head in a tilting motion as a signal for him. He walked toward a large wooden container nearby and opened it. Afterwards, he pulled out several corpses and threw them right next to Yang.

Yang stared in horror as she saw the bloody, mutilated bodies being casually tossed like they were old garbage bags. Were these the hostages? Did she get there too late? No… No, that’s impossible. A closer look at the corpses would reveal why. The bodies were already swelling and there were fluids leaking from the orifices of their faces. They’ve been dead for days! But that means…

Yang struggled to even stand, let alone speak coherently at this grisly sight, “Why?”

Yang gritted her teeth and spoke in a venomous tongue, “If you weren’t going to spare these people, then why did you want me to come here in the first place?”

Raven remained silent, while Yang grew more enraged with each passing second, “What do you want with me? **What do you even get out of this**?”

Raven coldly justified these murders, “The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules.”

Yang felt like she was going to vomit, “Is… that it..? Is that… the only reason? No… They weren’t… threatening you. There was no reason for this!”

Raven turned her back on Yang and had her hands behind her back, “No, there wasn’t. Sometimes bad things just **happen** , Yang.”

That was the final straw. That was the moment that something inside Yang just… snapped. At last, her question was finally answered. Yes… It is, in fact, possible to completely despise someone you’re supposed to love! But it wasn’t because her mother abandoned her, and it wasn’t because her mother could lead a tribe that will kill without remorse. Yang’s eyes suddenly closed because something in her memories had triggered in her mind when her mother told her that ‘sometimes bad things just happen’. It was back when her dad was sparring with her back home.

She could hear her dad’s voice in her head right now, “ _Your mother was… a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart. And, it did a real number on our family. You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. Obviously, you definitely have your mom’s stubbornness._ ”

The very idea that she could ever be compared to such a dangerous woman disgusted Yang beyond belief, but it was even worse because she had to convince **herself** that she wasn’t like her. On the surface, it was like looking in a mirror. Deep down, it was more like an image of what her future could be. This wasn’t like the time that Ruby told her about how she couldn’t stomach Torchwick’s cynicism, and a Griffon ended up coming out of nowhere to stomach him instead. No… Ruby and Torchwick were total opposites with one another, but Yang… wasn’t the total opposite of her mother. This made Yang’s blood boil until…

Her dad’s voice was in her head again, “ _I'm proud of how much of her I see in you. But, I'm glad I don't see all of her in you._ ”

When Yang opened her eyes, her hair immediately burned golden and her eyes turned red with rage, but her face and demeanor were unusually calm. She wasn’t yelling or fighting anyone, so the sudden transformation would actually more unsettling to most people than when she usually burns in battle. Yang didn’t want to simply yell or fight and she didn’t want to reconcile with her anymore. She didn’t want anything to do with her mother now. All she could think of doing right now is killing this cruel bandit in front of her with every ounce of rage she had! Yang took a step forward… and…

Wait… That sword… As Raven turned to face Yang again, she had just now noticed the sword that was sticking out of the scabbard. How did she miss that earlier? From the looks of it, that sword looks like the same kind that…

Another flashback went through Yang’s mind. She could see Blake completely at the mercy of Adam. She could see him remove the sword from Blake’s flesh as she saw herself jump right at him and shouting, “ ** _Get away from her_** _!_ ”

This predictable attack allowed Adam to swiftly swing his sword and slice off her arm, leaving her both crippled and powerless. Afterwards, she could hear her dad’s voice in her mind again, “ _You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see… there's a way around as well._ ”

When Yang’s mind returned to reality, she could see that Raven was wielding that very same type of sword, and since she was the leader of a bandit tribe with a ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality, it was very easy to assume that she was just as capable of slicing off her left arm as Adam sliced off her right one. However, unlike Adam’s sword, the scabbard on Raven’s sword contains a rotary chamber filled with six types of Dust blades: green, cyan, red, dark blue, purple, and yellow. It’s easy to assume that it works similarly to Weiss’s Myrtenaster, so they’re probably used to channel different elements in the blade.

Yang heard her dad’s voice in her head one last time, “ _Heh. See? Alright! Now you're using your head instead of your…_ “

Raven interrupted Yang’s internal fantasy, “Can we come back to the real world now?”

Yang’s anger toward Raven certainly didn’t deteriorate over time. Her hair and eyes were still golden and red respectively, but giving into that anger wasn’t the best idea right now. She learned that lesson.

Instead of just charging right at her, she made a very simple request, “Hand over the Relic.”

Raven slowly pulled out a small glowing ball out from inside her dress, “And why would I do that?”

Yang thought about the rest of her team… and Ruby, “Because without it, we’re all going to die.”

Raven scoffed at the response, “And which ‘we’ are you referring to?”

Yang glared at her mother in disgust, “ **Everyone**! The Relics were guarded by the Huntsman Academies to keep them from…”

Raven interrupted Yang, “ **Ozpin was weak**! Beacon and Haven had both fallen, and I knew that would happen because he… was… **weak**!”

Yang could see that this was quickly going nowhere, and changed her simple request into a demand, “Instead of Ozpin, you can just give it to me! Give the Relic to me… and maybe… I won’t kill you.”

The bandits that were watching the two estranged family members immediately reacted to Yang’s threat. They came at her from all sides, with all kinds of weapons in their hands, ready to…

Raven held out her hand, “All of you. Leave us. Get as far away as you can.”

Even though there were bandits as close as six inches away from her, Yang didn’t take her eyes off of Raven for a second, while Raven explained her reasoning, “Ravens are solitary birds. We prefer to hunt alone.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, the other bandits backed off, leaving Yang and Raven alone. Despite Yang’s threat, Raven actually seemed impressed with her, “So, the Burning Dragon finally bears her fangs. So different from that coward, Ozpin… ”

Raven dropped the Relic to the ground next to her and grasped the hilt of her sword, “If you want it, **try** and take it.”

This wasn’t cooperation. Raven was clearly willing to do anything it took to keep the Relic, but why did she want Yang to come all the way here in the first place? Did she want this fight from the start? Yang slowly walked a few more steps toward Raven. Her rage hasn’t weakened in the slightest, but scalding tears fell freely from her face after this realization.

Another flashback played in her mind afterwards. She saw Adam again, and he had the same stance that Raven does right now. Then, she heard a dragon roaring in the background, and Adam started screaming in agony as he suddenly burst into flames. Wait… That wasn’t what happened. She was the one that lost something when Beacon fell, not the other way around!

Raven noticed her hesitation and actually goaded her daughter even more, “What are you waiting for? Unleash your anger! You know you **want** to.”

Yang came back to reality again, extended her arm cannon, and pointed it toward Raven while screaming at the top of her lungs, “ **BUUUUURRRRRN**!”

She shot out a huge fireball toward Raven, but Raven swiftly countered by charging forward and slicing the incoming fireball in half with her sword, which caused it to split into two smaller fireballs… somehow. Both smaller fireballs ended up colliding with parts of the camp that were behind Raven, with one slightly to the left and the other slightly to the right. Yang was slightly astonished that she was able to do that, but Raven immediately launched a counterattack by lunging at Yang with her sword. Specifically, she was aiming for Yang’s left arm. Yang only had a split second to react, which resulted in her blocking the attack with her robotic right arm. Although the Atlas technology was sturdy enough to withstand her attacks, Raven didn’t relent. She kept attacking with her sword, which forced Yang on the defensive. After a few more blocked attacks, Raven leapt right above Yang using her robot arm as a stepping stool and slashed downward. Yang was caught off guard and tried to turn around and defend herself again, but the attack was too quick. Although Yang’s evasive maneuver was enough to keep her skin and bones attached to one another, her hair… was not so fortunate. A few strands of Yang’s precious hair were cut off of her head.

When Yang picked up the strands of hair that fell on the ground, her anger grew exponentially, and since she already had golden hair and red eyes earlier, that was saying something, “You… You **monst**..!

Raven didn’t even give Yang a chance to burn. When she landed after her earlier assault, Raven sheathed her sword, and then quickly unsheathed it and sliced through the air. This released a purple shockwave toward Yang, which caused her to slowly float helplessly a few inches above the ground. That was Gravity Dust! Yang could see Raven running around toward her backside, and she couldn’t turn around to brace herself! With no other option, Yang pointed her left gauntlet downward and fired. In her current ‘anti-gravitational’ state, the blast from her gauntlet caused her to fly upward, out of reach from Raven’s sword. With Yang got high enough, she fired her left gauntlet above her to cancel out the propulsion, and since the ‘anti-gravity’ was still in effect, Yang effectively had a bird’s-eye view of the entire camp. She pointed her arm cannon down at Raven and fired repeatedly. Since there were too many fireballs coming at once, Raven attempted to evade them rather than slice each one. However, these fireballs were somehow larger in size than the last ones, and she ended up getting burned.

Yang didn’t understand why either, but she didn’t care. She just kept firing. As more and more of the camp became engulfed in flames beneath her, Yang could feel a sense of perverted thrill. She could hear that dragon roaring and raging in her mind again and… Wait… What’s going on? What’s wrong with her? **Why was she feeling this way**?

These terrifying thoughts in Yang’s mind caused her to stop firing for a moment, which gave Raven a chance to counterattack. She sheathed her sword, and then quickly unsheathed it again to release a yellow shockwave. With no way to evade it, Yang was struck by the attack, and suffered an electrical shock. At the same time, the ‘anti-gravity’ effect from the previous shockwave seemed to wear off, since she fell straight back down to the ground. Did the Electrical Dust override the Gravity Dust?

Yang stood back up on her feet, with the electricity still coursing through her, causing intense pain. She could see Raven running straight at her again. Expecting another wave of sword attacks, she attempted to aim her arm cannon again, but the electricity in her body made her body shake, which threw off her aim. When she fired, the fireball ended up hitting several tents at once due to its sheer size. Was this robot arm linked to her Semblance somehow? It seemed to get stronger depending on the dama…

Raven didn’t give the narration time to finish that sentence and struck a direct blow on Yang’s flesh! Her Aura was able to sustain the damage, so that meant that the overall attack strength probably wasn’t as high as Adam’s sword. That would explain why her robot arm could block it. The lower damage must have been a tactical trade-off for having so many Dust options linked to the sword. She was back on the defensive again, and was forced to block more sword strikes with her robot arm. Yang fired her left gauntlet toward the ground in an angle to propel herself away from Raven again. Without the effect of that Gravity Dust, she only flew high enough to land on top of one of the wooden cages.

This was getting ridiculous! As long as she had that damned sword, she couldn’t risk going into her usual hand-to-hand combat style!  Okay, so it was more like a hand-to-metal style, but still… The point is that there was too great a chance to lose her other arm, or worse, her hair. And with that electricity still coursing through her, it was impossible to keep her aim steady. What was she supposed to do? She fired her arm cannon randomly toward Raven from the top of the wooden cage that she was standing on. It probably won’t hit her, but it would give her time to…

The fireball that came from the arm cannon was way too close and way too large… When it struck the ground, it ended up covering Yang herself in flames! They didn’t bother her that much, but it still hurt a bit. It also meant that the arm cannon was getting way too dangerous to use! But at least, it forced Raven to back off about ten feet. Yang saw Raven sheath her sword again, and then sent out another one of those shockwaves. It was a white one this time. It’s risky, but maybe if she just lets herself get hit, then it will override the electricity and…

Everything went black. Raven and the camp that she was just standing in was nowhere to be seen. At first, she didn’t have complete awareness, but then she saw… Adam. She was fighting him, but she wasn’t controlling her own movements. Was she in her mind again? She saw herself on the defensive, just like she was with Raven, but she eventually saw herself **catch the blade with her own robot hand**! Her hand squeezed and twisted the metal, **causing the blade to snap in half**! Then, she saw the fear in Adam’s face. She saw herself grab him by the throat with her robot hand, and then punch him in the face with her left gauntlet, over and over! She emptied the shotgun shells in his face and drew blood, and even then, she showed no mercy! She just kept punching him long after he was dead, until her rage consumed her, and she heard her own voice screaming until it slowly turned into a dragon’s roar…

Yang woke up shortly afterwards and found herself trapped in already melting ice, but due to her fiery Semblance, it wouldn’t hold her for long. Just like each time before it, Raven would come closer to her and attack to force Yang on the defensive. This time, however, she would do what she did in that… whatever that vision was. She kept a close eye on which direction the sword was coming from and blocked it over and over again, noticing that each swing would telegraph when and where the next swing would occur. This was her chance! Instead of blocking again, she grabbed the end of the sword with her robot hand and the hilt of the sword with her gauntlet, and snapped the sword from the hilt to the end! Finally! She’s got her now! Yang laughed ferociously in triumph and quickly went to grab Adam’s throat to… no, Raven’s throat… to end this and… Raven caught Yang’s robot arm by the wrist and snapped it in half with just her left hand! For a split second, Yang’s laughter turned into horror. Raven wasted no time in grabbing Yang’s other arm with both of her hands, turning around, and swing Yang over her head and throwing her into the ground!

What just happened?! Yang thought she had her… and then… she dragged herself from the ground and saw her robot arm. It was detached from the wrist up! The thumb, the fingers, and the cannon itself… It was all just laying there next to Raven’s legs! Even though her hair was still glowing and her eyes were still red, the fear was very real and very visible on Yang’s face.

Raven stopped for a moment and stared down at Yang with a grin on her face, “Yang? What’s wrong? You look surprised. See for yourself. My little crutch is gone. I’m completely defenseless… and helpless.”

Raven held out the hilt of her now broken weapon, “Or have you realized that true strength doesn’t come from weapons, or Dust, or even Relics. Hand to hand! It is the basis of all combat! Only a **fool** trusts her life to a weapon!”

Raven snapped the hilt in half just by squeezing it with one hand, and then struck the detached remains of Yang’s robot hand with a single punch! The punch was strong enough to not only shatter the robotic parts to pieces, but also leave a visible crack on the ground below it! No words could explain how terrifying this was, but Yang wasn’t about to stop now. She still had a gauntlet left! That was still an advantage over Raven… maybe…

Yang ran straight toward Raven to attack, and Raven responded by putting her right leg forward, stretching out her arms, and thrusting out her palms in Yang’s direction while shouting, “ **Hadoken**!”

A blue fireball came from Raven’s palms and struck Yang, knocking her back several yards into the rocky wall behind her. Yang pulled herself from the ground again and quickly moved behind one of the remaining tents. Trying to use her head first instead of her temper… Maybe a surprise attack..? Raven was unfazed by this, and pointed both of her arms toward the ground in an ‘X’ shape before bending them back up into another ‘X’ shape with her hands on her shoulders. A lightning bolt came from the sky out of nowhere and struck Raven, but it didn’t seem to harm her at all. In fact, she was laughing! Her hair color changed from black to white, and her eyes changed from red to blue! Was this her Semblance?! It looked just like…

Wait, maybe this was Yang’s chance… If it takes so much time to activate that Semblance, maybe she can strike Raven from behind while she’s still charging. She emerged from around the corner of another tent and went straight for Raven’s backside. Raven seemed to notice because as soon as Yang went to strike with her left gauntlet, Raven turned around to punch with her right hand. Both fists, fire and lightning, had collided with one another. The resulting impact had shattered Yang’s left Ember Celica gauntlet and sent her flying a few feet on her back… and caused Raven to slide an inch. While Yang got back up from the ground again, Raven punched the ground and slid her fist across it while conducting electricity from her Semblance. This resulted in dirt coming up from the ground to create a miniature smokescreen. When the smoke dispersed, Raven was nowhere to be seen.

Yang was sure she was still nearby, but how was she supposed to fight now with her Ember Celica gauntlet and her Atlas robot arm… both gone? Even if she tried to continue fighting with her bare hands, she only had one to work with!

Raven’s voice could be heard echoing in the air, “Good. Despite Taiyang’s… pampering, you and I are both equally vicious… and equally ruthless. Not surprising…”

Yang clenched her teeth shut and whispered, “Don’t you **dare** compare me to you!”

Raven’s voice could be heard again, “Hm..? I didn’t catch that.”

Noticing Raven’s presence, Yang turned around and punched her squarely in the face, “I said I’m **nothing like you**!”

This was the first time Raven was knocked to the ground, and Yang wasted no time putting her legs over Raven’s arms and punching her with every bolded word, “You’re **nothing** … but a **killer** … and a **thief**! That’s **all** … you’ll **ever** … **be**!”

Even this level of restraint wasn’t enough to keep Raven pinned down, since she just lifted Yang off of her with her spine and let her fall to the ground. After that, Raven stood back up and grabbed Yang’s left arm with one hand and put her foot over Yang’s throat, “Really? Is that what you told the White Fang?”

Yang was struggling to speak with her throat being covered, “What... are you… talking about?”

Raven kneeled down toward Yang while keeping her hand on Yang’s arm and her foot on Yang’s throat, “You don’t remember? That’s right. No one remembers their first time.”

Yang continued to struggle with Raven’s grip, “I don’t… understand.”

Raven explained, “I’m talking about the first time you drew out the beast within, or should I say… the dragon within.”

Yang struggled to respond, but Raven continued, “ **You** killed him. Adam took your arm when Beacon fell, and you killed him when Haven fell.”

Yang tried to deny it, “I… I don’t…”

Putting emphasis on ‘tried’, Yang kept getting visions of Adam being burnt alive. Raven didn’t seem fazed at this, “Remember doing it? I’m not surprised. Everyone blacks out during their first time, but I bet you still have that little dragon inside you.”

Yang immediately remembered the dragon in her nightmare this morning, but still tried to deny it, “N… no, I…”

Raven removed her foot from Yang’s throat and lifted her by her arm, and then pushed Yang on her knees to witness their surroundings, “See for yourself. The flames… the destruction…”

Almost everything in the bandit camp was burnt or still on fire! Did she really do this? Something else caught Yang’s eyes amidst the destruction, “The Relic!”

Just like everything else, the Relic was burnt to ashes! It was gone! However, Raven had actually ignored the Relic to continue her explanation, “Every female in our family has a beast lurking inside us. For some, it’s a bear. For others, it’s a snake. There’s even one with a raven lurking inside her… just waiting to be let out of her cage! But you..? Your beast is nothing less than a dragon… with the rage and hunger to consume and destroy everything around it!”

Yang shook her head and closed her eyes, “Stop it.”

Raven spoke with actual pride in her voice, “Our tribe values strength and force of will above all! Yang, when you unleashed the beast within, you are more dangerous than any Huntress, Grimm, or Maiden that I have ever seen!”

Yang gritted her teeth and had scalding tears in her eyes, “I said stop it!”

Raven moved her head toward Yang’s ear and whispered, “You see the truth before you now. You’ve destroyed the White Fang! They were part of the attack on Haven, and took your revenge on them.”

Yang started shouting while the tears fell freely from her face, “ **Stop it**!”

Raven didn’t stop, “And you didn’t just stop with him… You unleashed your wrath upon every single human and Faunus that was unlucky enough to be nearby that day!”

Yang couldn’t bear to hear any more, “ **Stop it**! **Stop it**! I’m not… I’m not a…”

Raven still didn’t stop, “There were Hunters, Grimm, other White Fang extremists, defenseless innocents, and even children… and they all **burned** for you!”

Something else within Yang just snapped inside, “ **I’m not a monstAAAAAHHHHH**!”

A dragon’s roar came from Yang’s mouth as she turned around to face Raven, who was still attempted to restrain her. Before Raven had a chance to react, Yang actually breathed fire from her mouth and covered Raven in flames! Afterwards, Yang’s body quickly transformed into the same giant serpentine dragon that she saw in her nightmare. It was covered in glowing golden scales and had a burning yellow mane made of fire along with her red eyes. The dragon continued to merciless bathe Raven in fire with its breath, but instead of a charred corpse, or even a woman on fire, a giant raven emerged from the flames. It was covered in white feathers and have glowing blue eyes. As the raven spun through the air, it spread its wings and blew away the flames around it with a fierce cry!

The dragon attempted to burn the raven with its flames, but the raven was swift and flew out of the way. Afterwards, the raven shot out lighting from its beak and struck the dragon with it. The dragon was unfazed, and flew directly at the raven, but the raven flew around and behind the dragon and attacked it with its talons, which left a mark on the back of the dragon’s scales, but also left burns on the raven. The raven flew off of the dragon and attacked with lightning breath again, but the dragon was still unfazed and grabbed the raven with its claws. With the raven trapped, the dragon bit down upon the raven’s throat, causing it to shriek in pain. Despite enduring this pain, the raven managed to pry itself from the dragon’s teeth with its talons, and then force the dragon’s mouth wide open. From there, the raven shot lightning from its beak inside the dragon’s throat, which caused it to clutch its throat in immense pain. The raven grasped the dragon’s backside and flew upward with it, as if it were freshly caught prey. When the raven flew high enough, it flipped 180 degrees downward with the dragon still caught in its talons, and slammed it right at the rocky wall below.

The raven glided downward next to the dragon and transformed back into Raven, who then landed on her knees and her right hand. Raven stood back up and dusted off her dress, “Heh… The only thing I don’t get is how our clothes still remain intact from that.”

 Raven walked toward the rocky debris and saw Yang’s bruised and beaten form. Yang had bolts of lightning coming out of her throat as she struggled to even breathe, and her vision was blurry from the ordeal. Despite all of this, she was still clearly alive.

Raven had a few more words for Yang as she felt the bloody wound on her throat that was given to her from being bitten by that dragon earlier, “Oh, that takes me back. Reminds me of my first coming of age fight… When a young warrior in our tribe lives to their eighteenth birthday, they face the current leader in one-on-one combat as a coming of age trial. By the time I learned that Haven would fall, I only had three days to set this all up, but the Relic give me the knowledge I needed to do it.”

Raven knelt down toward Yang’s crippled form and gently played with her hair, “The Relic you burned was just a counterfeit. You didn’t think I’d risk the real one, or my tribe’s chances of survival just for our little family reunion, did you?”

Raven chuckled a bit, “That’s right. I didn’t forget how special today was.”

Raven cracked her knuckles and moved closer to her face, “Happy birthday!”

Raven punched Yang in the face, and then everything went black. For once, it was a dreamless sleep. No masks, no dragons, no burning… There was nothing but quiet for so long, and then she heard a voice…

“Yang?”

It sounded too young to be Raven. Yang opened her eyes and saw a blurry red figure.

“Yang!”

Yang opened her eyes again, and could see the figure more clearly, “Ruby?”

It was her sister. Ruby hugged Yang tightly and had tears in her eyes, “Oh my god! I was so worried about you! You were out for weeks! Yang, I was so worried… I…”

When Ruby let Yang go, Yang saw her surroundings. She was sitting in her bed. She was back home! Was that all just another nightmare? Yang tried to get up, but moving even a little bit caused her whole body to buckle in pain.

Ruby couldn’t stop the tears from coming out of her eyes, “Yang, wait! You shouldn’t even be moving right now! Uncle Qrow found you… He… said there were claw marks on your back… and electricity… coming out of your mouth.”

Yang’s eyes widened. That was no nightmare!

Ruby sniffed and dried the tears from her face, “Did… you fight with a lightning-flavored Griffon or something?”

Yang was terrified to respond, but before she even tried, she saw what looked like a cake sitting on the desk nearby.

When Ruby saw Yang looking at it, she got up and brought the cake to her, “Oh! I, uh… bought you a cake! I thought I might surprise you… because it’s your birthday. Well, it **was** your birthday.”

Yang read the message on the cake, “ _Happy 18 th Bioooohday, Yang!_”

Ruby was embarrassed to admit the reason that the cake looked weird, “Uh… Dad kinda… sat on it. Sorry… and sorry it’s so late…. and…”

With tears in her eyes, Yang hugged Ruby hard enough to crush the air out of her, “It’s perfect! Thank you!”

Ruby struggled to gasp for air, “Please stop.”

Yang released Ruby and then noticed the faint glow coming from Ruby’s eyes, “Your eyes… Is that light?”

Ruby’s expression turned into a depressing one, “Yeah.”

Yang took a closer look at them, “Ruby? What happened to you?”

Ruby sighed, “It’s a long story.”


	5. World of Remnant: The Argentum Pact

The background is completely black.

_Oh! Hello! Remember me? I’m the one that told everyone about the origins of the world that the mortals named ‘Remnant’. Well, I got lots of soul collecting done in the past few months, and now I’ve finally got some spare time on my hands. And now the Primordial girl, Macaria, also known as the Death Maiden, is here to tell you mortals another story!_

The word 'RWBY' appeared in large capitalized letters in the black background along with the phrase 'WORLD OF REMNANT' in smaller capitalized letters underneath it.

_Welcome to another chapter of ‘Ruby: World of Remnant’! Yea, I said ‘ruby’ this time, not ‘ri-wuh-bee’. Happy now? Yea, everybody else… and I mean **everybody** already knew how ‘Are-Double U-Bee-Why’ was really supposed to be pronounced except me, so I looked like a complete idiot back then. The letters are just the first name initials of each member of Team RWBY, and the ‘W’ was just used as a ‘U’. Okay? I get it now! **I**. **Get**. **It**. Anyway, now that **that’s** out of the way, I’m gonna tell you about…_

The words in the black background vanish and are replaced with the phrase 'THE ARGENTUM PACT' in the center.

_The Argentum Pact! Dah, dah, **duuuuh** … Um… Okay, you know what… I’ll just… stop doing that._

The words in the black background vanish.

_Ahem! This story starts centuries before the concepts of Dust and mortal technology have ever existed, and centuries before the Huntsman Academies were ever created._

The background changed into a white color and many tiny brown silhouettes appear with the shapes of red-eyed black creatures surrounding them.

_Back then, the mortal NPCs were constantly under attack by the monsters that Daddy made for the game. Even today, the mortals call these monsters ‘the Grimm’, but I guess you already knew that._

A tall silver silhouette appeared above the crowd of brown silhouettes.

_You see, the mortals couldn’t protect themselves without their Dust, so they had to rely on what they called a ‘goddess’ to protect them. Now, since mortals already consider me and my family to be ‘gods’, it should be kinda obvious that this ‘goddess’ was really just another Primordial. Her name was Monehda, and she was **very** … different from the rest of us in so many ways. Uh… Yea, that’s… uh… That’s a… nice way to put it._

The silver silhouette raised its arms and the red-eyed black creatures vanished from the background.

_The first thing that was different about her was that she wasn’t related to our family in any way. She just… kinda came out of nowhere, and since Grandpa didn’t have anything to do with her existence, even he didn’t ‘ _Day-oos Ex Mah-kee-nah' her into the game, so she basically came out of nowhere. Uh… Yea… And… the second thing was that she didn’t treat the mortals like pieces the same way that the rest of us did. Even though they were made solely for our amusement, Monehda treated them more like they were… equal to her… and… before the mortals discovered Dust, they usually relied on her to protect them, and she did it, and… and…__

_The background suddenly went completely black._

_Y… you know what? I… I can’t take this part of the story seriously anymore. I can’t! Look, she was just a Mary Sue. Okay? N… no! No! Not just any Mary Sue… Worse! She was like the **godmodding** version of a Mary Sue! She makes that stupid Little Red Riding Hood play in that Chibi spinoff seem **tolerable** by comparison! She came out of nowhere and helped everybody. That’s it! That’s **all** … she was! There… is… **absolutely** … **nothing** … interesting to say about her, so I’m just gonna say one last thing about her that kinda affects the rest of the story, and then move on with the **real** stuff! Okay? Happy now? Great!_

The background changed into a white color again and had a close-up of the silver silhouette’s face. The only feature that was visible on the face was the color of its eyes, which were colored in a lighter shade of silver than the rest of the face.

_The last thing that was different about her was that she had silver eyes instead of the golden eyes that that me and my family have._

The background suddenly went completely black again.

_Yea… Silver eyes. I’m gonna just go ahead and clarify the one thing that just about **everybody** that’s reading this is probably thinking about right now. The answer is ‘yes’. The Silver-Eyed Warrior bloodline is completely descended from Monehda. **Wait**! Wait… Hang on a sec! Look, I know I seem like I’m just opening another can of cheap ‘Mary Suey’ garbage, but just… hear me out! I promise this is gonna go somewhere!_

The background changed into a green color and a purple silhouette with a large robe and long white hair appears in it.

_Now, Grandpa didn’t like Monehda one bit, and it’s not just ‘cuz she was a total Mary Sue. It was also ‘cuz he didn’t have any say in what she did or how her powers are supposed to be used. You see, when we play a game in a world we make, Grandpa likes to have control of everything in it. He’s the personification of Time, so everything he says has to happen exactly **when** he says so. He’s got the most power, so he makes all the rules, and he hates when things get ‘out of control’. Well, something like that… Actually, he lets us decide what we wanna do with our powers, and then gives us the ‘okay’ if he likes our idea. Huh… Not really all that different if you think about it…_

A blue and foggy silhouette with loops in its hair and wings protruding from its back appeared next to the purple silhouette.

_Eventually, Grandpa decided that Monehda was ruining our game and had to go. I was the one he told to take care of it. Since my in-game role as the Death Maiden already involved removing pieces from the world, he said that it was basically part of my role. He gave me two specific commands. First, I had to remove Monehda from the game. And second, I had to make sure he had a claim to Monehda’s Silver-Eyed powers. You see, when there’s something that Grandpa doesn’t have control over, he get really mad, and the powers that Monehda had didn’t come from our family, or anything else in the world we made. To put it in simple words: no claim, no control. Those powers were like a ‘wild card’ that could mess up the potential destinies that he wanted for each mortal, and that wasn’t allowed in the game._

The purple silhouette disappeared and was replaced by the silver one, while the blue silhouette appeared in a more hostile stance, while holding a large scythe.

_You’d think that all I had to do was kill this outsider Primordial, take her soul and her powers, and be done with it, right? Well, it wasn’t that easy. You see, I **can’t** just take the soul of another Primordial, ‘cuz being a Death Maiden means I only have power over **mortal** souls. Even I have limits, and if I just killed her, her soul would just go in some other world, or galaxy, or somewhere else entirely. Basically, we’d never, ever find it. That means that the power that Grandpa wanted a claim over… We’d never find that, either. At the same time, she didn’t want to kill me, either. Even though we played with mortals like they were toys, Monehda knew that I was the Death Maiden in the game. If I was gone, any mortal that died would just have their souls stranded in the world. I guess she thought that being stuck on the game board as an undead soul was worse for mortals than being put in a metaphysical toy box before being reincarnating over and over again for our continued amusement. I dunno._

The blue silhouette lowered its scythe, and the silver silhouette was positioned slightly closer to the blue one.

_When I asked her why she cared so much about mortals, she said it was ‘cuz she didn’t have any family like I did, so the mortals were her family instead. She told me that she made friends with mortals a few decades before she really made herself known and famous to their whole species, but she couldn’t protect any of them, and they all died. Since she couldn’t die of old age or anything, she was really lonely, and so she started protecting other mortals as a way to make up for losing her friends, and to take her mind off of that ‘being lonely’ stuff. Something like that…_

The two silhouettes held out their arms in a handshake.

_Okay, so she wasn’t a **complete** godmodder ‘cuz she couldn’t bring back the dead, but I still say she’s was a Mary Sue. Whatever… Anyway, even though we were technically ‘enemies’, neither of us were really gonna get what we wanted by killing the other one. That’s why… instead of a battle between Primordials, we made a pact instead. I call it the Argentum Pact, ‘cuz Argentum means ‘silver’ in, uh… some other language. The terms of the pact were simple. I had to promise never to interfere with the lives of mortals ever, ever again, except for when I have to pick up the souls of those that die and put them away in my toy box. If I agreed to that, she would make a weaker body for her soul to be transferred to. One that didn’t have as much power… To put it in simpler words: she would make herself mortal, and then I could have claim over her power by putting her soul away in my toy box when she died. Then, I would just give the power over to Grandpa._

The silver silhouette changed into a brown color and was kneeling downward while the blue silhouette held out its arm toward the now brown silhouette’s head. Silver smoke was coming out from the brown silhouette and towards the blue silhouette’s arm.

_I agreed, and so the pact was made._

The brown silhouette disappeared and was replaced by the large purple silhouette from earlier. The blue one was now holding a large scroll.

_When I told Grandpa about the pact I made with Monehda… Well, the short story was that he just said that the pact really wasn’t our problem. Then, when I told him about how I think she meant for all of us to stop playing with mortals and not just me… Well, his answer was… ‘no’. He said ‘no’ and that was it._

Both silhouettes disappeared and were replaced by a brown silhouette with silver eyes on the left sitting alongside another brown silhouette on the right. There was a small ‘baby’ silhouette with silver eyes sitting in the lap of the left one.

_Monehda lived her remaining time in the world as a mortal, and even started a family. It was from that point that all mortals who are descended from her would inherit the same silver eyes that she possessed. Like all mortals, Monehda would eventually die. I don’t really know the specifics, but she basically lived the rest of her life with the mortals she liked. Not a bad way to die, all things considered, but the point is that the Mary Sue was gone. Yay!_

All three silhouettes disappeared and were replaced by many brown silhouettes kneeling and bowing toward a large tombstone.

_Oooh… Uh… I really should’ve waited a few slides before I said ‘Yay’ like that. Don’t worry! I’m sure it gets bet…_

The brown silhouettes were openly weeping now.

_Taaaooohhh… Well, I guess not. Ah, well… The Mary Sue was making the game too easy anyway, so… Yea, screw ‘em. Moving on!_

The silhouettes disappeared and were replaced by a glowing silver ray of light.

_After Monehda died, her power was left behind. Even though I gave Grandpa the claim to her power that I got from that pact, he couldn’t actually **use** it. You see, the only thing that having a claim over this power did for him was make sure that it couldn’t just drift away, or be used by anybody else without him knowing._

The ray of light disappeared and was replaced by a slender light blue silhouette on the left and a red, four-armed, muscular one on the right. There was a temple in the middle between them.

_So instead, Grandpa told my mommy and my uncle Gigan to dig a huge hole that went on for miles straight down, and then make a whole temple underground. We call it “Monehda’s Tomb” ‘cuz that’s where the source of her power is buried._

The silhouettes and the temple disappeared and were replaced by the purple silhouette. Its arm was pointing toward a colorful spiral.

_After that, Grandpa would whip up a portal into some weird upside-downy world, and then put the power inside it. After that, he put up two pieces of security to make sure that the portal to this upside-downy world would never be opened when it wasn’t supposed to be. The first one was that the portal would only ever reveal itself to anyone that had a claim to Monehda’s power. The second one was that any mortal that tried to enter would die instantly the second they go near the portal._

The silhouette and portal disappeared and were replaced by a long spiral set of stairs with a hole in the center.

_My mommy and uncle Gigan would make these stairs that would lead all the way back up to the surface, and then make **another** temple at the top. Yea… Stairs. They dug miles underground, and then the way back up… was stairs. Seriously! Look, I know that elevators didn’t exist at that point in time, but **stairs**? That was the best idea they could come up with? Well, if I was in charge, I would’ve just made another portal instead. I guess it was just another security measure, though. A seemingly endless set of stairs **would** make mortals too tired or bored to completely walk down. Still a stupid design, though…  Ahem! Anyway, with these two… no, three measures in place, Grandpa would be the only one that would be able to safely go back and forth through the portal._

The long spiral set of stairs disappeared and was replaced by a group of brown silhouettes with silver eyes on the left holding weapons and the shapes of red-eyed black creatures on the right.

_But even after Grandpa taking careful precautions with this new power, Monehda’s descendents, A.K.A. her bloodline, still existed. Even though their connection with the source of their power was really small compared to Monehda herself, they still had enough power to kill a Grimm just by looking at them._

The red-eyed black creatures were deformed and covered in silver light.

_You see, back then they didn’t have Hunters and Academies, so this bloodline… This single family **alone** would dedicate themselves to the eradication of the Grimm all over the world, and it was ‘cuz they were living by the example that Monehda set._

The deformed creatures disappeared and were replaced by smaller silver-eyed brown silhouettes covered in blood and bruises. The larger silhouettes on the left were still holding weapons.

_But simply being part of a bloodline doesn’t give anyone the ability to kill Grimm by looking at them just like that. Oh ho ho… no. You see, this bloodline of mortals triggered their power through emotional pain, so in order for them to use this power at will, they had to go through these… rituals first. It was really messed up, and as a kid that looks for corpses on a daily basis, I have a very high tolerance of ‘messed up’! I’m not even gonna go into the specifics, but basically when a new mortal is born into this bloodline, they would go through these painful and humiliating rituals! They would go through it every day of their lives until they turned nine! These mortals would be emotionally numb, but would also be traumatized for the rest of their lives. When you’re messed up like that, things like fear and mercy don’t mean anything, so the Grimm couldn’t feed off of their emotions no matter what, and at the same time, these mortals could use their power anytime they want._

The brown silhouettes disappeared and were replaced by silver silhouettes floating above the ground with light shining from their eyes.

_They were the perfect warriors in battle… and completely useless everywhere else. But their reign of martial dominance wouldn’t last forever…_

The silver silhouettes disappeared and were replaced by a map of Remnant showing the four Academies, as well as an assortment of Dust crystals on the top right.

_You probably already know this, but mortals eventually discovered Dust and just used that to protect themselves from the Grimm instead. Then, they made the Academies and the rest is history. When the Academies were formed, the mortals realized that they didn’t need the Silver-Eyed bloodline anymore, so the awful rituals that they used to control their power were banned from Remnant by mortal law… forever. Eventually, life went on and the Silver-Eyed Warriors were treated as miff… um, miss… miffiss… They were treated as legends. My family thought that Monehda’s legacy had basically run its course and that it was obsolete now, but then something happened…_

The map disappeared and was replaced by a silver hooded silhouette on the left and the colorful spiral on the right.

_You see, it turns out that there was this big flaw in the security that Grandpa set up. Well, **another** big flaw if you count those stupid stairs. Somehow, one of Monehda’s descendents was able to enter the portal safely and claim the power for herself! **All of it**! **The whole thing**! I think it’s ‘cuz of the way that the security measures were ordered. It checks if someone nearby has a claim to Monehda’s power first, and **then** kills any mortal that tried to enter second. To put it in simpler words: the first security measure has a higher ‘priority’ than the second one, so that if a mortal just happens to be part of Monehda’s bloodline, they would be allowed free access. That would explain how this descendent… this ‘Summer Rose’… was able to claim the full power._

The silver hooded silhouette was replaced by a slightly smaller red hooded silhouette.

_And… how her daughter… this ‘Ruby Rose’… was able to do the same thing later… **These** mortals didn’t have to go through the whole pain and agony thing, so it seems like they could just use their power without drawbacks… Right?_

The colorful spiral disappeared and was replaced by a silver hooded silhouette. Both silhouettes were staring at their arms as they were dissolving into Dust.

_Well, not exactly. You see, while it’s certainly believable to think that mortals could wield a small piece of Primordial power if they had a claim to it, using the whole thing at once..? Uh, it’s not so easy. After a while, the repeated use of this power at its full strength will cause permanent damage to the mortal’s body. First, their skin starts to crack and dissolve into Dust… and then their bones start to crack and their eyes melt… and then they die._

The colorful spiral became larger and the two silhouettes could be seen inside it.

_But that’s not the end of it… Not for them anyway… You see, when these mortals drew from the source of Monehda’s power directly, their own souls became part of it. They wouldn’t notice it right away while they’re still alive ‘cuz they got fleshy bodies, but when they die, their souls will get drawn there. In other words, I can’t pick them up! I gave my claim to the power to Grandpa, so I can’t do anything with **those** souls. When they die, they’ll just be stuck in that weird upside-downy world that Grandpa made… forever. Or at least until Grandpa decides to let them out so Cybele can reincarnate them again. Just between me and… everyone reading this, I think Grandpa’s still kinda mad about mortals getting around the boundaries of the game, so he probably **won’t** let them out… ever._

The colorful spiral disappeared and was replaced by the blue and foggy silhouette from earlier.

_And that’s the story of the origin of the Silver-Eyed powers… the Argentum Pact. I know I made a pact with Monehda, but the rest of my family still messes with mortals for their amusement. It’s not like I lied to her or anything… She only said that **I** couldn’t mess with the lives of mortals. Me! That’s it! And… I actually keep up my end of the pact to this day, even long after she died. I know there’s no real consequence for breaking it now, since there’s nobody around to punish me if I did, but I still keep up my end as… sort of an unwritten rule. You see, this whole world… this Remnant… is a game for us Primordials to play, and games are supposed to have rules. That pact I made with Monehda was like a new rule to change the game up a bit.  I try to play the game like it’s supposed to be played ‘cuz I would just be cheating if I didn’t. That’s all._

_The background suddenly went completely black again._

_Hmm… I was gonna end it right here, but I still got a little more time. Hang on! I still got some more stuff to bring up. You see, there were some... problems that I had to deal with ever since I made that pact. Did you know that mortals could put pieces of their own souls inside one another? (Sigh…) This is my biggest pet peeve._

The black background suddenly changed into a red color. A clear outline resembling a person is positioned above a yellow silhouette that was lying down, with a wooden stake sticking out of its throat. There are flames surrounding the yellow silhouette. The clear outline has one blue eye and one green eye.

_Occasionally, you might find a mortal who can’t figure out how to use their Aura or Semblance. The easy out today is to have someone who does know how to use their Aura come and unlock it for you. The process doesn’t hurt, but the consequences can end up going beyond death instead. Certain half-blood members of our family, like my Uncle Ozzy, can do this on purpose to keep a piece of themselves within someone else as ‘insurance’ just in case their physical bodies died._

The background changed into a forest appearance with a yellow silhouette on the left and a red silhouette with a ponytail on the right. The red silhouette is touching the yellow one.

_But… then there are these **idiots** that think they can just link their souls with **anybody they want** without thinking about the consequences! You see, if somebody dies after they left a piece of their soul in someone else, the soul that I pick up is gonna look… like it’s missing a piece. If that piece is inside a mortal that’s still alive… well, I can’t just go in there and cut it out like a surgeon, and that’s ‘cuz I made that pact! Taking a piece of someone else’s soul that happens to be dwelling within a living mortal… Well, that‘s basically interfering with a mortal life. **That** … **counts**!_

The background changed into a blue color. A clear outline resembling a person is in the center with one blue eye and one green eye.

_Now, it’s not such a big deal if a Primordial or half-blood does it, ‘cuz the pieces of their souls are really sturdy. I would just need to wait until the mortal that they did this to dies before I can get that piece back. But if the soul piece belonged to another mortal, that piece kinda… merges with the other complete soul, and by the time that mortal **does** die, that piece just gets… stuck… kinda like a tumor. And let’s not forget to mention the nasty side effects that happen to the mortal when that soul piece is stuck there too long, especially if the other mortal has already died._

The background changed black and words appear like a pharmaceutical advertisement.

_(Deep breath…) Sideeffectsofsoultumorsinclude,butarenotlimitedtonightmares,personalitychanges,talkingtoyourself,paralysis,shortenedlifespan,andmildrashes.Soultumorsareneverrightforyou.Contactyourlocalheadmasterifyouthinkyouhaveasoultumor._

The background changed into a green color and a machine appears in the center.

_Since I couldn’t just take the soul pieces out myself, I had to ask my Aunt Onira for help. She put these dreams inside mortal minds which inspired some mortals living in Atlas to create this Soul… Transfery… Thingy that could be used to remove the fractured soul pieces before it gets stuck. All they need is one of my soulstones… my personal Dust crystals… to release the soul piece. I **am** still allowed to look for any mortals with soul pieces stuck to them, tell them about their condition, and then give them one of my soulstones. That doesn’t count as interfering with their lives. They’re still making the choice to go to the Soul Transfery Thingy on their own. Yea… **their** choice… You know what those idiots **chose** to do?_

An amber silhouette appears on the left side of the machine while a red silhouette appears on the right.

_They actually used the machine to **add** soul pieces to other mortals! I’m serious! That’s the exact **opposite** of what I wanted! That just makes my in-game role harder! (Sigh…) Okay, I gotta stop thinking about this now. Anyway, the machine can still be found within a large underground chamber beneath what used to be Beacon Academy, even after it fell._

The background changes into a dark red color and portrays Beacon Academy surrounded by red-eyed black creatures.

_Of course, there’s a ton of Grimm surrounding the place now, so most mortals couldn’t make the trip anyway. Idiots…_

The background changed black again.

_All right… Well, that’s about all the stuff I can tell about the Argentum Pact and the stuff that happened ‘cuz of it. I still got more stories to tell, but they’ll have to wait until a have a lot of spare time again. Anyway, that was today’s World of Remnant! I think I did good! I think… I wonder if my brownies are done yet._

A tray of brownies appeared in the background.


End file.
